Project Profile: Sterling Green

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Six years ago, Seth Brown co-founded Next American City, a not-for-profit organization, and national magazine, dedicated to improving America’s cities. These days you can find him on one of two construction sites in Brooklyn: an affordable green condo project in Prospect Heights/Crown Heights and a 21st century brownstone-from-scratch (more on that one later). Sterling Green, at 580 Sterling, will be an eight-unit, five-story building of alcove studios and one-bedrooms from 552 to 1,071 square feet, offering green amenities like tankless hot water heaters, wind power, bamboo flooring and bike storage. We asked Seth a few questions about his vocational and philosophical journey and his plans to put his stamp on Brooklyn real estate.

You’re a co-founder of Next American City, a magazine about improving cities. How does your work as a real estate developer fit with that mission?
I guess what you’re asking is, Can one be a real estate developer and yet not be evil? I certainly think so. I co-founded Next American City at the same time I got my first job in real estate development, almost seven years ago. All of us who started the magazine worked on the ground in urban fields affordable housing, community organizing, education, law, etc. and had new ideas about how to improve cities. I worked in real estate development. So I really see my real estate development work and my efforts to create a new magazine about improving cities to be intrinsically connected.

Of course, they’re also different in some key ways. Next American City is a non-profit, and all we care about is improving cities. In my real estate development work at Aspen Equities, I care about improving cities and neighborhoods, but my investors also expect a profit. That’s why I try to take on projects where it’s possible to both make a profit and do something good.

Tell us about your decision to do something green.
On one level, I build green buildings because it’s obviously the right thing to do. According to the city’s recent greenhouse gas audit, buildings produce 79% of greenhouse gases in New York City. That’s huge. So if we’re serious about doing something about climate change, we need green buildings. Of course, there are other reasons, too. The residential green market in Brooklyn and New York isn’t as advanced as it is in the Bay Area, but some buyers care. I’m not convinced people are willing to pay extra for a green building, unfortunately, but I’m hoping that we’ll sell these green apartments more quickly than we would otherwise. I also hope that before too long, people will expect green buildings, so that developers who aren’t building green will be at a disadvantage.

At Sterling Green, my project in Prospect Heights, there isn’t one flashy green element. Smog eating façade! Foundation made of recycled soda cans! Instead, we’re trying really hard to get the basics right. For example, we did a good job recycling elements from the building we demolished. Instead of just selling all the cast iron radiators to a metal scrap company, we sold them to people who would actually use them. That saves the energy that would have been used to melt down the metal.

For our building, we’re trying hard to insulate properly. That’s probably the most important thing you can do in green building, and it’s often overlooked. We’ll have super efficient tankless gas hot water heater for each apartment, which is the most efficient way to heat hot water. We’ll have low VOC paints everywhere, so indoor air quality will be excellent. We’ll be using low VOC cabinetry in the kitchens and bathrooms for the same reason. Instead of using granite from an overseas quarry, and then shipping it here, we’re planning to use a paper-resin material for countertops. We’ll have EnergyStar appliances, of course, and are planning to install a green roof as part of our roofing system. At Sterling Green the condominium will be 100% wind powered. All the common electrical power will come from ConEd Solutions WIND program

Some of the nicest green aspects are some of the easiest things to do. Sterling Green will have private outdoor space for each apartment, and bike storage for each apartment.

What’s the hardest part about making something green in NYC? And what challenges do you face in attempting to do something affordable?
Some green things are really easy to do in New York, and some are really hard. It’s really easy to do brownfield redevelopment in New York. A brownfield is a site that was already developed at some point in the past. Well, all of New York City is a brownfield, so reusing a building site is the only game in town. On the other hand, situating your building to make the most of heating and light from the sun is a critical green building idea, and that’s pretty hard to do in New York. Usually, you’re constrained by zoning and the dimensions of the building lot.

Green building doesn’t have to cost a lot more than conventional building. A little thinking throughout the building process and a small additional budget for critical elements can go a long way.

By the way, affordable…we know you can’t officially release prices yet, but let’s say the studios start somewhere over $300,000, which still seems pretty heft for a studio apartment on the Prospect Heights/Crown Heights border, even if it is lovely and includes outdoor space.
Affordability is relative. In Prospect Heights, for example, low $300s for a very large (nearly 600 square foot) green alcove studio apartment with outdoor space is a great deal. In Boise, you could buy your own family compound for that kind of money. But we don’t live in Boise! Our goal for Sterling Green was to produce some wonderful but efficient living spaces a whole apartment, with a real kitchen, a walk in closet, a spacious bathroom, a washer dryer, and a layout that ensured you weren’t sleeping in your kitchen, all in a relatively small space. I think our prices will be pretty reasonable for that kind of thoughtfully-designed apartment.

What’s the projected timeline for the project?
My attorney asked me to point out that this interview is not an offering, and any offering of condo units for sale must occur through a complete condominium offering plan approved by the attorney general of New York. We don’t have that approval yet, so right now, we’re not selling nothin’. We do expect to start selling units soon, though, with occupancy for early summer 2009