We are proud to announce that the Lagos floor plan in the brand-new Carvalho Condominiums in the Villebois Village Center in Wilsonville, Oregon, recently achieved Platinum-level green certification through Earth Advantage and ENERGY STAR.

Through this specialized certification, homebuyers at Villebois can rest assured that their new home was built leveraging the highest standards of energy and resource efficiency with as little impact to the environment as possible.

Certification was determined through qualification factors such as: site planning, waste management, building construction and materials, heating and cooling systems, ventilation, lighting, indoor air quality, water efficiency and solar measures.

Learn more about the sustainable practices used in developing the Villebois community.

For more information about the Villebois Village Center‘s recent Green Certification, please call 866-580-2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.

Sue Bady, the writer of the article, said some kind words about Villebois in the Professional Builder May issue preview video. Click here to listen to Sue’s interview. Sue speaks about Villebois at the at the 1 minute 45 second mark.

The Professional Builder article, titled “Visionary Village“, is an excellent homage to Costa Pacific Communities, and its impressive follow-up to the hugely successful Orenco Station in Hillsboro, Oregon. The article highlights the rainwater management system backed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the European-inspired community design and its diversity when it comes to housing options.

For more information about the award-winning Villebois community in Wilsonville, Oregon, please call 866-580-2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.

In developing the Villebois community, Costa Pacific launched a rainwater management plan funded in part by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that filters and redistributes rainwater back into the ground, reducing the amount of pollutants released into the area’s streams and rivers. This system incorporates permeable paving stones, permeable asphalt, retention ponds, rooftop gardens and state-of-the-art bio-retention cells in the community planter beds.

With eco-friendly building techniques-including redeveloping existing building sites, and recycling up to 90 percent of the buildings that were demolished during the construction process-Costa Pacific lowered its impact on the natural environment. The company was also careful to preserve existing trees and open green space as well as incorporate native plants into the landscaping within the Villebois community, further validating its emphasis on environmental-consciousness.

Additionally, while working through the process of ensuring its homes meet Earth Advantage sustainability guidelines, Costa Pacific learned to build a higher quality home that maximizes energy efficiency and in turn minimizes the company’s impact on the environment. All 2,600 homes that will be built within the Villebois community will meet Earth Advantage standards.

As a transit-oriented development, Costa Pacific’s Villebois community gives residents the opportunity to commute from home via Trimet’s new West Side Express Service serving the Portland, Ore. metropolitan area’s west side. Dubbed “WES”, the new commuter rail connects residents living in Wilsonville to Tigard, Tualatin and Beaverton. Once in Beaverton, commuters can hop aboard the MAX light rail and be in downtown Portland in minutes. The Wilsonville WES Station is located a short walk from the Villebois Village Center, fostering a pedestrian- and bike-friendly atmosphere within the community. Villebois residents not only can avoid rush-hour traffic but they can also feel good knowing they’re reducing their carbon footprint by spending less time on the road.

“From the landscape, to the homes, to the overall layout of every one of our communities, we make it easier than ever for people live smart, healthy and green,” says Rudy Kadlub, CEO of Costa Pacific Communities. “Villebois embodies all that we strive to achieve when it comes to sustainability and creating complete communities.”

Additional efforts made by Costa Pacific in fostering sustainability within Villebois and the surrounding community includes lobbying for restoration of nearby wetlands and working with a coalition to establish the Tonquin Trail which runs through the community.
For more information about the Villebois Village Center or Costa Pacific Communities, please visit: www.Villebois.com or contact Sales and Marketing Manager Andy Green at 866.580.2836 or Andy@CostaPacific.com. The sales office is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays; and Noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays.

About Costa Pacific Communities
Since 1990, Costa Pacific Communities has been building communities up and down the West Coast that enrich the lives of residents. Costa Pacific has been recognized nationally for excellence in design, master planning and marketing and is the most awarded builder/developer in the history of Oregon. Most notably, Costa Pacific received a Gold Nugget Award for Best on the Boards Site Plan for Villebois at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference in 2005. The master planner’s Orenco Station community in Hillsboro, Ore. received the prestigious “Master Planned Community of the Year” award in 1999 from the National Association of Home Builders. Additionally, Costa Pacific has been named Developer of the Year by Oregon’s environmental watchdog group, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and twice been named Oregon’s Builder of the Year by the Oregon Building Industry Association. For more information about Costa Pacific Communities, please visit www.CostaPacific.com.

The 2,600-home Villebois community was built upon a foundation of connectivity, diversity and sustainability. All of the homes constructed in Villebois meet Earth Advantage® requirements for energy efficiency, environmental responsibility and resource efficiency.

More than 90 percent of the materials on-site at Villebois have been recycled. Costa Pacific Communities was careful to preserve existing trees and incorporate native plants into the landscaping. With funding from an EPA grant for rainwater management, the Villebois community also boasts permeable paving stones, permeable asphalt, retention ponds, rooftop gardens and state-of-the-art bio-retention cells in planter beds, further validating the community’s emphasis on eco-consciousness.

Also featured in this month’s Earth Advantage® newsletter were the following energy-saving tips:

• Save money and energy by lowering your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees.
• In the winter, set your thermostat to 65-68 degrees during the day and 58-69 degrees at night.
• Recycle your old refrigerator or freezer. Did you know that Energy Trust will pick it up and recycle it for you? They’ll even send you $30 to do it! Click here to learn more.

I would be happy to take you on a private tour of the Villebois Village Center and show you first hand the sustainable practices used in developing this unique community. Call me at 866.580.2836 or email Blog@CostaPacific.com.

We Love Trees

The Villebois community was recently recognized for its environmental preservation efforts during the homebuilding process in an article in the Fall 2008 issue of Forests for Oregon, the Oregon Department of Forestry’s magazine. The article honored the City of Wilsonville, Oregon’s commitment to its “urban forest” and protection of its natural resources. Wilsonville has been recognized as a Tree City USA community by the National Arbor Day Foundation since 1997.

Villebois is a shining example of the application and realization of Wilsonville’s tree preservation codes and natural resources plan. As we build new homes throughout the Villebois community, we retain the existing large, old-growth trees and incorporate native plants into the landscaping throughout the community. In doing so, we give the area an “old neighborhood” feel. This not only protects the natural habitat and aligns with the city’s tree preservation program, but also provides Villebois residents with a neighborhood in which to live that evokes a sense of pride and community.

We incorporate sustainable development practices through other aspects of the Villebois community as well.

Villebois is host to additional erosion-control features, including a complex rainwater management system that is pioneering new techniques to get more rainwater back into the ground and decreasing runoff into storm sewers. With funding from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant for rainwater management, eco-friendly porous paving stones and permeable asphalt extend throughout Villebois. Not only are these great techniques for master planning our community, but they are also implemented by individual homeowners in their own backyards.

Our use of water gardens and rain gardens allows rainwater to soak into the soil, which creates a slower delivery of cleaner water into nearby rivers and waterways. Additionally, there are several play areas throughout the community, including Sofia Park, that are actually dry stream beds that collect runoff and yet provide an attractive play feature for children within the community.

All of the homes constructed at Villebois are Earth Advantage-certified as well, and more than 90 percent of the materials from the previous buildings on-site have been recycled.

Read the article from Forests for Oregon here: “The little city that could: Wilsonville demonstrates tree care planning, leadership”

For more information about sustainable practices used throughout the Villebois community, please contact me today at Blog@CostaPacific.com or 866.580.2836; or visit Villebois.com.