Green building housing plan gets approval from council

Project will accommodate 566 UMD students

‘‘I think everyone is going to like the green aspect,” said Mayor Stephen Brayman.

Brayman asked for four to eight weeks for further discussion on the project, saying feedback is needed from local groups, such as the Berwyn District Civic Association and North College Park.

The building, called StarView Plaza, is expected to be six floors tall and house 566 students. There will be two parallel rows of apartments. The ground level facing Route 1 will be lined with retail stores.

The atrium located between the apartment rows will maintain energy efficiency with a steel framed roof, stripped with skylights and reflectors, designed to bounce light into the space, said John Grant, owner of developer Grant Architects.

The stripped roofing over the space acts as a ‘‘green lung,” Grant said. The air will refresh through the open atrium, letting heat escape when it is hot. Fans will keep heat in when it is cold. Grant said the atrium is expected to lower operating costs by creating neutral air, but it will also be the most costly part of the project, driving total costs up at least 10 to 20 percent more than a traditional brick design.

‘‘I think it’s ugly,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Stullich (Dist. 3), although she was supportive of the project itself. ‘‘This is a community that I think really likes traditional design.”

Stullich said she was mainly concerned about the team’s intent to use less brick than the required 75 percent, established by the Development District Standards in the Route 1 Corridor Sector Plan.

Councilman Patrick Wojahn (Dist. 1) said the developers should look towards achieving the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building rating.

LEED measures the level of environmental impact a building on a scale of certified to platinum.

Many cities with green building legislation, like Portland and Chicago, require green technologies of public buildings and encourage them of the private sector.

Certified is the minimum level a project can reach. Other standards are silver, gold and platinum.

To further their goals to go green, the team designed the building with only 390 parking spaces available in the three-level garage and public walkways going toward campus to promote a ‘‘walkable community,” Grant said. ‘‘We want to promote people to leave their cars at home.”

They plan to accommodate the UMD Shuttle Bus, but Brayman encouraged the team to add a pick-up lane to its plans so the bus does not stop on Route 1 and cause traffic problems.