2019 Was a Big Year
2019 was a big year for us here at Flywheel Development. We are excited to share the progress we’ve made, and what 2020 has in store for us. In 2019 we: finalized design documents for our Stack Eight affordable housing project, finished negotiations on the land acquisition for our Cycle House affordable housing project, and, perhaps most excitedly, launched a green infrastructure business line.
Stack Eight
Stack Eight is a 100% affordable homeownership project located in the Congress Heights neighborhood of DC. This project is supported by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU).
We are on track for Living Building Petal Certification (a District first), Passive House International certification, and net positive energy performance (a step beyond net zero). Throughout the design process, we pressed the design team to think big and incorporate innovative features at every turn. We spent many hours researching the latest in green technology and methods, and focused on the cohesive whole, rather than an assembly of parts. As a result, this resiliency-first community will have a district energy system served by a ground source heat pump, roofs bursting with solar, islandable battery backup of resident units (including refrigerators, as the loss of food and valuable medication is the single most costly expense during a power outage), and many more features. Stack Eight will be a model for innovative, resilient homes.
Perhaps most exciting for us is that we will be monitoring anonymized energy usage for research purposes. Our goal is to not only validate the energy models (we ran two) but also empower residents to live their values by getting feedback on how they’re doing individually and as a community.
We look forward to sharing more with everyone as we gear up for construction!
Stack Eight’s Congress Block as viewed from the South. Image by Moody Graham Landscape Architecture.
Cycle House
Cycle House is a mixed-use project with 100% affordable apartments over retail space located in the Truxton Circle neighborhood of DC. This project is supported by the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
We reached some important milestones in 2019 for Cycle House, and are excited to say we’re moving full steam ahead on design and permitting. The most exciting milestone was signing the land disposition and development agreement with the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Planning and Economic Development for the land lease. We spent many months diligently working with DMPED and the Department of Housing and Community Development to create a thoughtful plan for the development of the project. With that major milestone completed, we have been moving full steam ahead on project design. Like Stack Eight, Cycle House has some ambitious resiliency and sustainability goals: net zero energy performance, LEED Gold Certification, and Passive House International design. Cycle House comes close on the heels of our design process for Stack Eight, and we’re excited to leverage that experience to make Cycle House a model for sustainable development as well.
Shading study evaluating the solar production of canopy solar behind Cycle House. Image by Flywheel Development.
New Business – Green Infrastructure
One of the most exciting developments for us during 2019 was the successful launch of our green infrastructure business line. The green infrastructure business line was formalized to leverage our deep understanding of green infrastructure and the market opportunities in the District. It expands on and complements our real estate development projects, enabling us to work with many more partners and have an even greater and more immediate impact across the DMV!
As part of this business line, we develop and construct solar energy and stormwater management systems on properties owned by others. In 2019, we’re proud to say that we were awarded funding through the DCSEU Solar for All program to install solar that benefits low and moderate income residents in the District. Qualified residents can sign up to receive bill credits directly with the DCSEU/DOEE for up to 50% reductions in their energy bills. We worked with a property owner to install solar on a Low Income Housing Tax Credit property in Ward 4, and a condominium building located in Ward 8. We have a lot more solar and stormwater projects in our pipeline and look forward to sharing them as they progress!
Solar installation completed by Flywheel Development in 2019 through the Solar for All program.
Onward in 2020
2020 is going to be a big year for us in terms of our existing work (and new green infrastructure work). Stay tuned as we share out more about what we’re doing and how we’re making a difference in our own small way!