Only Affordable Multifamily Community on Oct. 4 Tour

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Sept. 21, 2009---The GreenPoint Showcase Tour on Sunday, October 4, will feature Ironhorse at Central Station, a BRIDGE Housing development in West Oakland. General contractor J.H. Fitzmaurice, Inc. and BRIDGE teamed up to place Ironhorse on this one-day, self-guided tour sponsored by Build It Green and KTVU. The tour covers the spectrum of green homes in the Bay Area, from custom homes to communities to remodels.

When it opens later this year, Ironhorse will offer 99 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that will be affordable to families with annual incomes ranging from $18,000 to $50,000. Designed by architect David Baker + Partners, Ironhorse includes many sustainable building and landscaping measures, including:

• Vegetated “green roofs” that last longer than standard roofs and provide excellent insulation from both heat and sound.
• Solar hot water panels to pre-heat domestic hot water. 
• Solar panels that supply nearly all of the electricity to power the common areas.
• Certified CRI Green Label Plus carpets.
• 100% of outdoor furniture, benches and seat walls made of composite lumber created from recycled materials.
• A landscape irrigation controller that receives weather data via a satellite connection and a high-efficiency drip irrigation system.
• Two vegetated swales, which naturally filter and percolate rainwater captured from the roofs into the water table. 

GreenPoint Rated, a widely recognized program of Build It Green, grades homes in five categories: energy efficiency, resource conservation, indoor air quality, water conservation and community. Currently, new multifamily developments score an average of 85 points under the rating system; Ironhorse has a pending GreenPoint Rating of 116 points.

“We are committed to creating energy- and resource-efficient homes that are cost-effective, good for the environment and healthier places to live,” said Lydia Tan, Interim President and CEO of BRIDGE. “Tour participants who visit Ironhorse will see how it’s possible to incorporate significant green measures into affordable multifamily homes.”

Ironhorse stands at the center of an exciting reintegration of some 29 acres of abandoned former industrial land into the surrounding residential neighborhood. Ironhorse forms part of Central Station, a new master-planned undertaking by several developers including BUILD, a BRIDGE affiliate. A total of more than 1,200 new homes will be constructed, along with new neighborhood-serving retail and the anticipated restoration of the historic 16th Street Station.

All proceeds from the GreenPoint Showcase Tour help support Build It Green’s mission to promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient buildings in California. For tickets, visit http://www.ktvu.com/builditgreen/index.html.

For more information about Ironhorse at Central Station and BRIDGE Housing, visit www.bridgehousing.com/Ironhorse.

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NOTE TO EDITORS: Renderings of Ironhorse at Central Station are available; please contact Lyn Hikida at 415-321-3552 or lhikida@bridgehousing.com to request.