Vermont Walkthrough—Surveying a Green, Affordable Unit
by Atina Hartunian
When I was asked to attend the Vermont Community Walkthrough, I noticed the address and thought it was in the Los Feliz area. But, while Mapquesting, I discovered that I had to drive all the way to the other side of L.A., and practically the world, to get there. I was going to take highways and be in parts of L.A. that were only mythical lands in my mind, legendary places that had severe traffic jams on a daily basis, the likes of which you might only hear on the radio.
The Walkthrough was an open-invitation event for those in the development industry. Project managers, architects and, well, more architects came to see what sustainability and affordability could build in the city of Los Angeles. The Vermont Community complex was a joint effort between Habitat for Humanity for Greater Los Angeles and GRID Alternatives, a non-profit specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency services, equipment and training for communities.
From the GRID Alternatives website:
Since 2001, GRID Alternatives has been working to bring the power of solar electricity and energy efficiency to low-income homeowners, and to provide community members with training and hands-on experience with renewable energy technologies. We believe making energy choices that are good for the environment can go hand-in-hand with improving the lives of those living in low-income communities.
The walkthrough was to showcase the partnership between these two organizations and their efforts in building a community that follows the LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficient Design) guidelines, is affordable for low-income families, and is energy efficient (otherwise referred to as “green”). It began with a short presentation covering how HFH and GRID Alternatives became partners in the endeavor, what energy-efficiency initiatives they took in designing the community, and how the families who lived in the complex were taught how their new homes worked (how to upkeep the solar panels and whatnot).
Seemed like a good idea on paper. According to a Habitat for Humanity fact sheet:
Los Angeles County has the nation’s lowest rate of housing affordability with only 2% of homes sold during the 4th quarter considered affordable to the country’s median-income family ($56,200 in the county of LA). LA is one of the least affordable metropolitan areas in the US; a median income home in LA, as of Dec. 2007, rose 6.5% from the previous year to $525,000.
It was a little strange to hear these people talk about the complex while there were people actually living in the apartments. Families walked in and out of their units, passing us by while we were sitting or standing in their playground/courtyard. It almost felt like we were observing specimens in an experimental environment. But maybe that was just me. Anyway...
After their spiel, our hosts let us “walk through” one of the open units, so we could see for ourselves what their joint efforts produced.
Every unit in the complex has (among other features):
- Active solar energy generation systems
- A landscape designed with native/low water use plants
- Dual-flush low-flow toilets
- Green recycled-content carpet and pads
- Homeowner training guidebook
Walking into a unit, you entered the “living area,” which was surprisingly small, though adequate. Along the flow of the unit to the kitchen was a small bathroom. The kitchen itself was small, but had modern appliances, donated by Whirlpool. Adjacent to the kitchen was the “eating area,” about the same size as the previous room. Stairs led to the bedrooms; this particular unit had two, and what I assume would be the master bedroom because it had a walk-in closet.
Now, I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been fortunate enough to have nice-sized rooms all my life, but these rooms seemed ridiculously small. Unbelievably small. I mean, you had enough room to fit a bed and maybe a very small chest of drawers or a fold-up desk. Anything bigger would cramp the room up so fast you’d think it was a storage space. And this was the master bedroom.
After the self-guided tour of the unit, a rep from GRID Alternatives showed everyone how the solar panels worked and the engineering that went behind their installation for each unit. It was interesting, as much as it could be for someone who isn’t an engineer. Then they had a self-congratulatory panel where project managers and architects who were involved in similar projects discussed the trials and tribulations they’d come across in planning and designing according to LEED’s code. I left after 10 minutes of that. I’d had enough self-satisfaction and -congratulation.
While driving back to my place, I thought about the whole idea of the Vermont Community. It was wonderful to see two organizations join forces to build shelter and provide basic necessities for people who otherwise couldn’t afford them. But I can’t imagine four people living comfortably in the tiny unit we walked through. What’s the sense of having a home if you can’t be comfortable in it? If you can’t actually live in it?
According to the overstuffed HFH press packet, the families selected to live in these units are required to put 500 sweat equity hoursabout two months—into building their homes. If they put in another 100 hours, or if they built one less unit, I’m sure they could’ve opened up these cramped rooms a bit more, to better fit a family of four. What surprised me even more was that no one really mentioned or commented on the size of these rooms. It made the whole experience like a charade: there’s no chance that these architects and project managers (who are busy “keeping it green” with their own projects) would live in these types of spaces. So why should these good people? I’m not saying, “Let’s build a mansion for everyone.” Just some more elbowroom, that’s all.
But “affordable units” means that, at least for now, these families will have to make do and manage what they have. It’s the only option they have. It’s unfortunate, but I guess when you don’t have options you live with what you can get.
Atina Hartunian was born and raised in Los Angeles. She has also lived in Santa Cruz, and while there she sold sea shells by the sea shore. She sold her business when she gave up on the dream of returning to the sea as a mermaid, like she was in her recent past life. Instead, she turned to writing as her solace. She is a website content manager and freelance writer. For inquiries, comments, questions, or marine concern please e-mail her at ahartuni@hotmail.com.
Comments
No comments.
RSS Feed