Officials will break ground this morning on the new Sheppard Square housing development, and the project will be one of Louisville’s greenest.The old Sheppard Square housing project was anything but green: it was 70 years old, with old boilers, window air conditioning units and single-pane windows. But the new $167 million development—which includes $22 million in federal funds—will utilize the most sustainable materials available.“Well we really are going to great lengths to make this site as green as possible,” said Metro Housing Authority Executive Director Tim Barry. “It all begins with the demolition material that we’re creating when we take the buildings down. About 75 percent of that demo material is being recycled.”The new Sheppard Square will be a mixed-income development, with certain percentage of the homes set aside for low-income residents and some sold or rented at market rates. The buildings will be heated by energy efficient gas furnaces and cooled by central air, which Barry says will save money.“We’re also going to have electric car charging stations in a couple places, initially with the opportunity to expand it down the road,” Barry said. “We’re going to have solar reflecting roofs and solar-reflecting paving. We’re going to use recycled building materials, low or no-VOC paints, low or no-VOC caulking.”Other features include native plantings, an irrigation system to collect rainwater and bioswales to help divert excess water and prevent flooding.Barry says there will also be a pilot project to recycle food waste on one block, which may be expanded if it’s successful.
