TC Legend: 5-Star Semiahmoo Resort Home

TC Legend Homes built this two-story, 2,941 square foot, four-bedroom, Built Green® 5-Star certified home in the Semiahmoo Resort community of Blaine, WA. The home features a tatami room, bringing an element of the Far East into this otherwise Western-style home. The room will serve as a simple gathering space or a place for meditation.

Vital Stats	Section	Points
Location: Blaine Star Level: 5-Star Checklist: Single-Family/Townhome Verifier: E.Coe Company	Site and Water	117
	Energy Efficiency	249
	Health and Indoor Air Quality	127
	Material Efficiency	115
	Total Score	626

As with all TC Legend Homes, it is constructed from Structural Insulated Panels, ensuring an air-tight envelope with minimal thermal bridging. In addition to being Built Green certified, this home is ENERGY STAR v.3.2 and EPA Indoor airPLUS certified. The home also features an elevator to facilitate aging in place.

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home exterior

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home living room

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home tatami room

Built Green Highlights

A simple rectangular design to minimize exposed surface area
Orientation and window placement to optimize active and passive solar
Slab on grade with 4” under-slab insulation
Insulated concrete forms
Structural insulated panel construction (locally sourced)
Triple-bead mastic and tape for air sealing of all joints
Triple-pane windows
High-efficiency air-source mini-split heat pumps (5 heads) for heating/cooling
High-efficiency heat pump hot water heater
Energy Star refrigerators (2), dishwasher, exhaust fan, and ceiling fan
High-efficiency Heat Recovery Ventilator to ensure clean, balanced ventilation
A very low .35 (ACH50) air infiltration rating
Zero-VOC paint
9.15kw photovoltaic solar system (locally fabricated)
Energy Performance: Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index score of minus three (-3) with solar PV (38 without PV)
Two electric vehicle charging stations

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home kitchen

TC Legend Homes Built Green 5-Star Semiahmoo home rec room

Kent, Wash. (Sept. 19, 2022): GIS International Group, DMG Capital Group, and Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) today ceremoniously opened Kent’s newest transit-oriented development just steps away from Kent Station. The building, which broke ground in mid-2020, will welcome its first residents later this month.

Madison Plaza, a mixed-use building featuring 157 market-rate apartment units, street-level retail, and a robust resident-amenities program, was also officially certified Built Green — part of a mid-day event that featured remarks from Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, executives from MBAKS, community dignitaries, and members of the project development and construction team.

Madison Plaza is only the second multi-family building in Kent to receive the Built Green designation. The 7-story building is one of several mixed-use projects being developed in the Kent market, a response to growing residential demand for centrally located projects near public transit, restaurants, retail, and other work-life amenities.

“We’re always humbled to share these important milestones with the many industry and community partners who played such a critical role in the project’s success,” said GIS CEO Eugene Gershman, whose company specializes in the development and construction of commercial buildings like Madison Plaza. “It’s the ideal location for workforce residents, and we look forward to future investments in this community.”

Built Green is the green home certification program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. In addition to certifying green homes, remodels, apartments, and communities, the organization hosts a membership network of companies and individuals involved in the green building industry.

“We are thrilled to be a part of the opening of Madison Plaza,” stated Jerry Hall, Interim Executive Director at Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties. “This Built Green 4-star certified multifamily building plays a crucial role in fulfilling our region’s need for more housing choices.”

Madison Plaza is located at 102 Madison Ave. N., across the street from Showare Arena, a short walk from Kent Station and its Sound Transit center, and adjacent to a wide range of retail, restaurants, and entertainment options. In addition to mid-market workforce-housing units, Madison Plaza features two floors of retail, a secure entry lobby, a fitness center and game room lounge area, bike storage and washing, a turf and dog run and a rooftop gathering space.

The Madison Plaza project team also includes award-winning architecture firm IHB Architects, financial and development partner DMG Capital Group, and Thrive Communities, which is responsible for leasing and managing the property.

About GIS International Group

GIS is a privately owned and operated group of construction, design, and development companies dedicated to creating dynamic, sustainable projects on commercial and residential sites. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, GIS provides turnkey construction and development solutions, as well as project consulting and owner representation, to partners and clients throughout the Puget Sound region. GIS prides itself on its efficient, high-quality production and its deeply experienced team delivering project value across various industries and geographic boundaries. More information on GIS’s urban and suburban real estate projects and its best-in-class services is available at gisinternational.com.

About Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties

Founded in 1909 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders’ association. Like our founders, our members continue to take a leading role in all facets of homebuilding and support the planning for a growing region. From new technology to advances in sustainability, from collaborative public policy efforts to investing in our communities, our commitment to a thriving, inclusive and well-planned region never wavers. We are the professional homebuilders, architects, remodelers, tradespeople (carpenters, framers, roofers, plumbers, electricians), planners and engineers, suppliers, manufacturers, and sales and marketing professionals in your community who believe everyone deserves access to a healthy and productive place to call home.

About Built Green

Built Green is a holistic green home certification program of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, established in partnership with King and Snohomish counties in 1999. In addition to certifying green homes, remodels, multifamily buildings, and communities, Built Green hosts a membership network of companies and individuals involved in the green building industry, conducts research, and markets the social and environmental benefits of green building. The program’s mission is to serve as the driving force for environmentally sound design, construction, and development practices in the state of Washington’s cities and communities. Since its inception, Built Green has certified more than 36,000 housing units and 20,000 buildings. The program has partnered with local governments and utilities to create green building incentive programs, which have helped spur uptake in the region.

About IHB Architects

IHB Architects, the designer of Tacoma Trax, strives to enhance communities with vision, innovation, compassion and economic vitality. The company is empowered by the ability to help individuals, developers and businesses to succeed. IHB’s understanding of sustainable design methods, ideas and materials allows it to offer any level of sustainable-design features that is within reach of the client’s budgetary constraints. More information is available at ihbarchitects.com.

Media Contact:

Richard Kendall, Allison+Partners
For GIS International Group
619-346-2084 / richard@allisonpr.com

Madison Plaza deck

Madison Plaza group photo

Mayor of Kent speaking at Madison Plaza

Jerry Hall speaking at Madison Plaza

madison-plaza-grand-opening-event

Built Green™

08/24/2017

What is Exclusionary Zoning?

South Lake Union Panorama at Night Downtown Seattle, South Lake Union, Interstate 5, and Capitol Hill at night (Wikimedia Commons Photo/Dllu)

By Zoe Ludwig, Built Green Intern | This is part one in a three-part series.

Back in the day, the West Coast was expansive, idyllic—the land of the American Dream. The privileged few would leave everything they had, come to large open pastures, and build homes for their families for generations to come. But even then, we struggled with zoning, it just had a different name. A history of discriminatory practices negatively impacted marginalized communities for centuries. Believe it or not, it existed here at home: think along the lines of Native Americans pushed out of their homes or non-white communities exiled to less favorable parts. Of course, nowadays, building in the west looks a lot different, as does the American Dream. Every beam laid is permitted; every building has its place; and, ideally, nothing is built out of place. The notion of zoning, however, while transformed, has stuck around.

Los Angeles was the first to adopt a policy of exclusionary zoning in 1908, but it wasn’t until 1922 that the Federal Government passed the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act. This act granted states the power to zone cities however they deemed fit and officially legalized exclusionary zoning. While there are many forms of exclusionary zoning, put most simply it prohibits development of anything besides single-family homes on large lots in specific geographical strata (neighborhood, town, city, etc.).

The issue with exclusionary zoning is in the name—it’s exclusive. Exclusive housing laws push lower-income families out of neighborhoods, limiting access to schools, trails, parks, and even grocery stores. Public education nationwide depends on property tax to fund neighborhood schools. Bigger homes = higher property taxes = better schools. The same goes for many other ‘luxury’ community amenities like public parks and trails. Maintenance and improvement projects are paid for by taxpayers and, again, those who pay more taxes see greater benefit. (Thankfully, Seattle recognizes the importance of green space and works hard to put good parks in all of its neighborhoods though there is still room for improvement.)

The other issue with exclusionary zoning is that it decreases affordability. If only 50 percent of the city is available to those who can’t afford to buy, then the demand for housing outweighs the supply of housing, and those who can’t afford rent or a mortgage get forced out. Decreasing affordability and increasing disparities have documented impacts:

The property-tax/education paradigm manifests itself in test scores. One author, looking at "low-scoring" schools and "high-scoring schools, found that homes in the "high-scoring" regions cost, on average, $11,000 more a year than homes in the "low-scoring" regions. This is not only unfair to kids in the low-earning, low-scoring districts, but it is unfair to the rest of the community, which loses the incredible potential from many students who aren’t granted the same resources.
Another study found that just a $100 increase in median rent causes a 15 percent increase in homelessness for adults already living in poverty. With the lack of affordable rent options here in Seattle, this statistic is yet another reason to examine our current zoning and its impacts.

While it is possible to prove with significance the economic disparity caused by zoning, studies on race are not as straightforward. Bruce Harrell, the only black Seattle City Council Member, put it eloquently when he said, “housing policies are largely governed by socioeconomic patterns. Yes, we can agree there’s a huge overlap between poverty and communities of color. But to suggest that… there’s a conscious attempt to exclude in terms of zoning decisions based on race—that almost distracts from the issue.” It is still important to note, however, that while race might not alone dictate housing disparity, the overlap of poverty and communities of color, combined with various systematic failures and the continuing ramification of past housing injustices, create an undeniably unsustainable system in which the rich and the white frequently end up on top. If we focus zoning reform on creating affordable living options for all, we will make progress in addressing disparities and affordability.

Interested in this complex topic? At this year’s Built Green Conference, we are hosting a panel called From Exclusionary to Inclusionary: How Can We Make Our Region Inclusive, Resilient, and Vibrant? featuring Alan Durning of Sightline Institute, candidates for Seattle public office, and experts on environmental justice and community participation. Register for the conference today—ticket prices increase September 1!

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