Nutter Butter: How Green Are Philadelphia’s Dollars?

We have all heard that Mayor Michael Nutter wants Philadelphia to emerge in coming years as The Green City in America. If you are not on the band wagon yet, it’s time to jump aboard! One of the great aspects of this goal is that he actually has a plan, and a realistic one at that!

The Mayor wants to throw some $6 million in the next year, and $25 million over the next five years at recycling. Currently, as a city, we are at the low, low collection rate of 6%. With this added money in the budget, Nutter aims to start collecting on a weekly basis instead of every other week, and make the system more user friendly to participation. In addition, he wants to implement a city-wide litter prevention strategy based on the prior effort of Councilman Frank DiCicco.

Another effort will be directed at Fairmount Park. He wants to raise it’s budget, plant more trees, and really focus on making it an epicenter of the city, drawing more visitors and residents.
Finally, and here is the big Kahuna, Nutter is aiming to get an energy audit for the city, get all existing city buildings to qualify for LEED certification, and develop a Sustainable Building Code for all future new construction. Whether this will be just for city owned buildings are all new commercial buildings downtown is not know yet at this time. We do know the new Comcast Center, though, will be a fantastic sustainable model for all things to come!
He may be our superhero Mayor, but he knows that he cannot accomplish all aforementioned goals alone. He is now in the market to name a Director to a new Office of Sustainability and establish a Cabinet for this Director. So, if you know anyone…

-Rachel Lipton

(Get To Know Rachel A Little Better @ LiveGreenInPhilly.Com)

Today’s Top Picks, Northern Liberties Real Estate

(Sal Gardner, REALESTATEITCH.COM)

Sal’s top real estate picks are in Northern Liberties. They each represent unique living and great values.

1. Le 22:

This development is in the heart of downtown northern Liberties. It’s gated with the garages inside a courtyard. The townhomes come in 4 different configurations with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths at about 2300 square feet. The carriage houses are 1,800 sq. ft. with 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Each home comes with a deck. The finishes are good quality as well as sleek and modern. With prices starting at $499,000, this is an excellent value.

2. Green Condos:

This place is spectacular. One of 4 condos, one of the upper units is available. It has 2,300 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. There is a separate living room on one end and a great room with an totally high-end kitchen. The upstairs hall is a catwalk with glass floors to allow light into the first floor from the skylights on the roof!

The most amazing part of the place is the roof deck. It’s a green roof, so your roofing material is grass! That’s right folks, you have a lawn on top of your house! Now for those who don’t know much about green roofs, they save energy by helping to cool the place in the summer and heat it in the winter. In addition, it has radiant floor heating which makes it very efficient to heat in the winter. Personally, I would look into installing solar panels to defray energy costs. The builder allotted for a place to install them in the roof plan.

3. Brown Street Estates:

This is probably the best deal in the city. 2,900 square feet separated in 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a great room with high-end kitchen and a formal living room. It has a real back yard and 2 decks and an indoor/outdoor fireplace in the great room and 2^nd floor deck. The vent from the fireplace is designed to act like a heater to warm the deck! Glass and steel stairs round out this luxury palace. A finished basement with additional powder room is optional. Prices start at $749,000. In my opinion, this development is the best value in Philadelphia.

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Thanks,

Sal (Gardner)