The first of its kind. Located in the West End neighborhood of Chapel Hill, Greenbridge is a green multi-housing project designed by William McDonough & Partners.
Some of the green design ideas incorporated into the community:
Solar panels, green roofs with rainwater collection. Building materials like reclaimed wood, low-VOC paints, and natural masonry and metals. Some residences will have private green terraces. High windows and ceilings make best use of natural light and residences are oriented to take advantage of solar heat during the winter.
$350k to $1 mil seems very high for only 700-1000 sq feet in that area. Chapel Hill is a beautiful place and has grown a lot in the recent past, but those prices seem more like what you'd find in Northern VA, parts of Maryland and/or D.C.
If someone on the forum lives in Chapel Hill and have more info please let me know if I'm wrong.
view Monica's profile
I looked at the website and it says the apartments range from 1000 to 2500 sq feet.
view shani-o's profile
Frankly after looking at the developer's website, I'm not all that impressed. This appears to be yet another product with the "green" stamp on it so the producer can get a premium price, one that seems an unusually high premium over the luxury housing market for Chapel Hill, NC.
A building need not incorporate fancy technologies in order to be green, simply using high performance glazing and insulation, with energy efficient HVAC will put a building light years ahead of most multifamily housing. Also keep in mind that appliances with an energy-star endorsement only means that the manufacturer has met minimum Federal energy efficiency standards, not that the appliance is among the most efficient in its category.
The developer's website notes that the units' HVAC is provided by heat pumps. I don't know how well heat pumps function in North Carolina, however in points further north, they have a reputation for being a problematic form of household heating due to their electricity consumption. I would never, ever buy or rent a home with a heat pump system, regardless of climate.
view John H's profile
I just don't see paying that kind of money in Chapel Hill. The Durham triangle has gotten more expensive, but these prices are ridiculous. Additionally, students and professors are the principal denizens of Chapel Hill. How are they supposed to pay for this?
view Terry's profile
I work in Chapel Hill (live in Durham) and agree the prices are ridiculous. But trust me, people here can afford them and will pay them. If you click the Floor Plans link, you can see how many of the units have already sold. Lots of the smaller, lower-level units have sold already...
as far as the heat pump is concerned, many, many southern homes are heated and cooled with heat pumps. I'm not sure, but I would wager that Greenbridge will use one of those fancy geo-thermal heat pumps that Bush has at his "ranch," and that win him such praise as eco-conscious.
One of the problems Greenbridge will have is its location at the edge of the only kinda sketchy area in Chapel Hill--most of our crime rate is centered here.
view Rebecca_South's profile
I also live in Durham and work in Chapel Hill. And yes, the prices on Greenbridge are RIDICULOUS. But there are plenty of wealthy people in the Triangle area (Durham-Chapel Hill-Raleigh) and the prosperous population continues to grow at a healthy pace. I'm surprised all of the units aren't yet spoken for. Similar "luxury living" buildings (although not as luxurious as Greenbridge) have popped up in Carrboro and the Triangle area and the premium spaces were quickly grabbed.
One note: the price range goes up to $1.4 million on the 10th floor, and two of those three units have already sold.
I'm glad I bought my 1940s 1,400-square-foot house in Durham for $130K. :)
view mykull's profile