Drake’s Way first affordable development to be LEED certified

Residents have views of Mt. Tam from Drake's Way, by EAH Housing.

On May 4th, 2011, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) officially designated Drake’s Way with the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes Silver certification; making Drake’s Way the first affordable housing community in Marin County to be LEED certified.

Since it first opened, Drake’s Way has been a model of sustainability. The property’s central location in Marin County facilitates a car-free lifestyle by allowing residents to live within walking distance of retail centers, a grocery store, and office buildings as well as public transportation and bicycle routes.

Built by EAH housing and located in Larkspur, CA the property offers sweeping views of Mt. Tamalpais and the San Francisco Bay. To help preserve the natural beauty of the property’s surroundings, EAH Housing donated nearly half of their parcel to the city of Larkspur to be used as an undeveloped hiking and wildlife area.

Encircled by fields of native wildflowers, Drake’s Way is landscaped entirely with drought resistant plants and was built with 80 percent recycled construction materials. The community room, computer lab, and management offices at Drake’s Way are 100% Solar powered and the entire property features some of the latest designs in energy efficiency for water heaters, insulation, ducts, and other building components.

Drake’s Way provides homes for low income working families who would otherwise not be able to afford housing in Marin County’s high-end real estate market. Like many other EAH Housing properties, Drake’s Way allows people to live close to their jobs, avoid lengthy commutes, and spend more time with their families, all while creating a net benefit for the environment.

EAH Housing recently launched the Building Sustainable Communities Initiative (BSCI), a company wide effort to “green” the entire EAH portfolio. 30 properties have already received green upgrades and the rest of the EAH portfolio will undergo similar renovations in the coming years.

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that judges the overall environmental impact of a property by evaluating criteria such as energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions, and stewardship of natural resources. The prestigious LEED designation is considered to be one of the most stringent rating systems for green building. LEED criteria are set and evaluated publically by the approximately 20,000 member organizations that make up the USGBC.