The Issaquah Highlands is dreaming in green. A 10 town-home project called zHome is being unveiled as anything but ordinary. Project partners – the city of Issaquah, King County Solid Waste Division’s GreenTools program, Puget Sound Energy, Port Blakely Communities, Washington State University, Built Green, plus builders Ichijo USA and Matt Howland — support the project as the first truly net zero multifamily community in the nation.
Chuck Murray, energy specialist, says that the project’s commitment to green living transcended the world of ideas into real housing. The townhomes are built to utilize 70 percent less water than typical properties. Designers have used low-toxicity finishes and recycled materials throughout the property, and they have also installed rainwater storage tanks and charging stations for electric cars.
Issaquah’s zHome takes up less than a half-acre and is located next to a YWCA affordable-housing project and a park-and-ride commuter facility. One-, two-, and three-bedroom units are 800 to 1,700 square feet and priced from $385,000 to $625,000.
Liljequist, the zHome project manager, is considering moving in from Seattle’s Phinney Ridge. For citizens who want to shrink their environmental footprint, housing “is very low-hanging fruit.” Volunteers lead one-hour tours of zHome now through October 30th (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays).