Affordable Housing Reengineered: From Costco Mixed-Use to Federal Megaprojects
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What’s new in innovative sustainable building, federal money for affordable housing, and AI making inroads into homes. This is the news for the week of March 2.
Is the future of affordable housing sitting on top of a Costco? In South Los Angeles, a $400+ million mixed-use project is stacking 800 housing units — including income-restricted apartments — directly above a retail warehouse. Learn about how the finance is structured.
Affordable housing moved back onto the federal stage. New York City Mayor Mamdani met with President Trump to discuss securing more than $21 billion to unlock 12,000 affordable homes at Sunnyside Yard in Queens. In Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro addresses affordable housing with new housing policy plus investment.
Meanwhile, states continue to adopt more stringent energy codes: Learn what Massachusetts, Colorado, and California are up to.
Then there’s the uncomfortable question the industry keeps avoiding: If high-performance, climate-ready homes reduce long-term risk and operating cost, why don’t appraisals consistently recognize that value?
And AI? Predictive load management, adaptive HVAC optimization, real-time fault detection, and distributed energy orchestration enter the building space. Are builders prepared for what that means for design, liability, and grid interaction?
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.
Affordable Housing Reengineered: From Costco Mixed-Use to Federal Megaprojects
What’s new in innovative sustainable building, federal money for affordable housing, and AI making inroads into homes. This is the news for the week of March 2.
Is the future of affordable housing sitting on top of a Costco? In South Los Angeles, a $400+ million mixed-use project is stacking 800 housing units — including income-restricted apartments — directly above a retail warehouse. Learn about how the finance is structured.
Affordable housing moved back onto the federal stage. New York City Mayor Mamdani met with President Trump to discuss securing more than $21 billion to unlock 12,000 affordable homes at Sunnyside Yard in Queens. In Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro addresses affordable housing with new housing policy plus investment.
Meanwhile, states continue to adopt more stringent energy codes: Learn what Massachusetts, Colorado, and California are up to.
Then there’s the uncomfortable question the industry keeps avoiding: If high-performance, climate-ready homes reduce long-term risk and operating cost, why don’t appraisals consistently recognize that value?
And AI? Predictive load management, adaptive HVAC optimization, real-time fault detection, and distributed energy orchestration enter the building space. Are builders prepared for what that means for design, liability, and grid interaction?
Watch this week’s episode of The Week in Sustainability to see how these forces are converging — and why the housing industry may already be operating under new rules.
By Cati O'Keefe
Cati O’Keefe is the editorial director of Green Builder Media. She has 25 years of experience reporting and writing on all aspects of residential housing, building and energy codes, green building, and sustainability.Also Read