Bozeman Montana's Story Mill Neighborhood to Pursue LEED Certification.

Historic Revitalization Project to Integrate Neighborhood Development, National Green Design, Building and Land-Use Standards

BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Blue Sky Development, working in conjunction with nationally known architects and engineers in the design and creation of the Historic Story Mill Neighborhood, will apply for the innovative LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Neighborhood Development[TM] certification from the Washington, D.C-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The LEED Green Building Rating System is already the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED certified buildings have lower operating costs and increased asset value, reduce waste sent to landfills, conserve energy and water, reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and demonstrate an owner's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.

The new LEED-Neighborhood Development certification program expands the Green Building Rating System to integrate the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building into the first national rating system for neighborhood design. It is being developed by USGBC in partnership with the Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). LEED-Neighborhood Development will include best practices in: smart location and transportation linkage; environmental preservation; compact, complete and connected neighborhoods; and high performance green construction and technology.

LEED Neighborhood Development certification will provide independent, Third party verification that the entire neighborhood development meets the highest performance standards and will validate a project as an environmentally responsible, energy-efficient and healthy place to live and work.

The 90-acre Story Mill Neighborhood currently consists of the historic, but deteriorating Story Mill itself, closed stockyards and various associated buildings, a mobile home park and wetlands. The project will transform this area into a state-of-the-art clean and green neighborhood which will provide 1100 residential units and single family homes, 200,000 (gross) square feet of light industrial, retail, commercial, and live-work spaces, and approximately 35 acres of open space including publicly accessible foot/bike trails.

"We believe that now is the time, and Story Mill in Bozeman is the place, for a variety of environmentally conscious and socially responsible residents and business owners," noted Matthew Crocker, founder of Blue Sky Development. "Many Bozeman residents already practice conservation and understand the importance of living a carbon-neutral lifestyle as much as possible. Story Mill will be a model neighborhood that will demonstrate urban infill, preserving and restoring an existing historic area in town instead of contributing to urban sprawl," concluded Crocker.

The Story Mill project will include medium and high density housing (including Affordable Housing for those who qualify) and is currently navigating the Bozeman City Commission approval process. Projected additional tax revenue may exceed $5 million annually with almost $2.5 million directed at the Bozeman School District once completed.

Along with Blue Sky Development, The Story Mill project design team includes: GBD Architects, a nationally recognized firm for rehabilitating urban and historical landmarks; Hyalite Engineers, a Bozeman company with more than 50 years of combined experience in civil and environmental engineering; Comma-Q Architecture Inc., a local firm whose work combines intelligent and progressive design to Bozeman's unique architectural environment; Bozeman-based, Joseph W. Sabol II, Attorney & Counselor at Law, and Kath Williams, president of World Green Building Council. Kath, a long-time Bozeman resident, is a LEED Accredited Professional, who has worked on numerous green projects around the world, including two LEED-Platinum projects in India.

Stephen Domreis, AIA and Principal/GBD Architects said, "We have designed many LEED projects, including three Platinum buildings in 2006, and we are excited to take part in the first neighborhood development in the nation wholly designed around new standards for land use, energy, and resource conservation."

About Blue Sky Development

Blue Sky Development, is a privately held U.S. corporation led by long-time Bozeman resident Matthew Crocker. It was formed in 2006 to design, build and implement environmentally sustainable communities. It is headquartered at 6730 Tawney Brown Lane, Bozeman, MT 59718. Blue Sky Development can be reached at 406-522-9644.

For more complete information about The Story Mill Development project, see www.storymillcenter.com. Related Links of Interest: United States Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org, and GBD Architects at www.gbdarchitects.com.