Boston officials are looking to create a series of small communities consisting of energy-efficient residential and commercial buildings.
The Boston Globe reports that proposals are now being accepted for the construction of an ‘E+ Community’ development on 11 vacant city-owned parcels in Boston's Mission Hill section. The city will make 1.3 acres of land available for a minimum price of $488,000, and the development would consist of dozens of housing units along with commercial, retail or light industrial businesses.
All of the buildings in the development would need to be energy positive and could incorporate sustainable building elements or renewal energy sources.
‘We're pushing toward practices that are taking burdens off the environment by producing more power than the buildings need,’ says John Dalzell, a senior architect for the Boston Redevelopment Authority. ‘We're really trying to drive innovation and create a city that is thinking around the edges of the box and looking to get outside of the box.’
Proposals are due by mid-June, and Boston officials hope to select a winning bid before the end of the year, with construction to begin next year.