Going green for housing

LAFAYETTE - On Saturday, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter put on his hard hat and observed solar panels being placed on the roof of a townhouse. 

The developers of Eagle Place Townhouses say the 60 two and three bedroom rentals are the first of their kind in the nation.

"What we're trying to do is build houses for working families who may not be able to afford a new house and also help cut back on energy costs," said Amory Host.

Host is one of many people and teams who came together for the public and private project. Through a combination of more than 400 solar thermal panels and solar photovoltaic panels, the development hopes to use less than half the energy of a comparable development.

"The panels will help heat the water. Our electric meters will actually be going backwards when the sun is up, and when the lights are on and the sun is down they'll start going forward," Host said.

Lonnie Garland is one of the first residents living in the townhouses. For two years she struggled to find a permanent housing she can afford.

"I would use the word horrific. It's been terrible because we're constantly moving around," Garland said.

She fits the profile of the ideal resident. To live at the townhouses, a person must make at least less than 50 percent of the annual median household income in Boulder County, which is roughly $57,000 a year.

Governor Ritter, who made renewable energy one of his top campaign priorities last year, says the community can be an example for the rest of the state and perhaps the nation.

"This is a statewide issue, affordable housing, and I think it's going to be the state and local government working together to develop models like this," Ritter said.