Going Green: East Durham Project Selected for National Pilot Program 

Living Building Challenge Accepts Alma Street Commons into 2020-2023 Cohort.

A future development project of the Durham Community Land Trustees (DCLT) was accepted into the Living Building Challenge Affordable Housing Pilot Program. Living Building Challenge (LBC) is the world’s most rigorous standard for green building certification. DCLT’s Alma Street Commons proposal was one of fifteen projects nationwide to be accepted into the competitive program. 

Green building and affordable housing construction are a natural fit. Lowering energy consumption and costs for residents is only one benefit. Green buildings can also help mitigate health disparities by using toxin-free materials, improving indoor air quality, and growing food onsite. Living Buildings strive for net-zero or net-positive energy, are free of toxic chemicals, and harvest water onsite.

DCLT’s staff will receive ongoing technical support, including monthly project meetings with LBC staff. “We are very excited to be selected into the program and connect with the sustainable building community in North Carolina,” says Sherry Taylor, DCLT’s Asset Manager. The pilot program begins in November 2020 and concludes in 2023. 

The goal of the Alma Street Commons is to provide a mix of housing types with features that facilitate community building and address health inequalities in the East Durham neighborhood. The Alma Street Commons project aims to create an urban micro-village by maximizing community gathering and green space for residents. All units will be included in DCLT’s shared equity model and be permanently affordable.