Green Builder Media's Ronan Mirza delivers the weekly sustainable building news roundup, covering the "Yes in God's Backyard" movement that could turn church land into 800,000 new homes, state fights over energy code rollbacks in Maryland and New England, and the Ellinikon smart city rising on a former Athens airport.
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Ronan Mirza: Hey, I'm Ronan. Thanks for spending a few minutes with me. Catching up on the week's biggest stories. Shaping the future of housing resilience and sustainable building. This week we're looking at a surprising new source of affordable housing. A major fight over building codes and a development in Greece that may offer a glimpse of what future communities could look like.
00:00:24:13 - 00:00:50:12
Ronan Mirza: Let's jump in. Can churches help solve America's housing crisis? America's churches collectively own enough land to potentially support 800,000 new homes. That's the idea behind a fast growing movement called Yes, in God's Backyard, or B, which is making it easier for churches and other faith based organizations to build housing on land they own. Realtor.com estimates faith based organizations own more than 2.6 million acres nationwide.
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Ronan Mirza: Because many churches are already located in established neighborhoods with roads, utilities and large, underused parking lots. Supporters say they're uniquely positioned to help ease the housing shortage. California, Florida and Virginia have already passed the laws, and Congress is considering legislation that will provide grants and technical assistance for similar projects. One example is already taking shape in Mint Hill, North Carolina, where Shiloh True Light Church recently won approval to add transitional housing, vocational classrooms and a dozen single family homes to its campus.
00:01:22:23 - 00:01:48:12
Ronan Mirza: Supporters say the project will help families rebuild their lives through housing, job training and support services. Critics questioned whether the added density fit the character of the community, and raised concerns about traffic and neighborhood impacts. Local officials ultimately approved the rezoning. Real estate professionals say projects like these could influence neighborhood character. Nearby property values, traffic, and future development.
00:01:48:14 - 00:02:18:13
Ronan Mirza: There are legal questions to while churches may own the land. Federal fair housing laws generally prohibit housing discrimination based on religion, meaning these homes must typically be available to qualified applicants regardless of faith. And despite the excitement, available land is only part of the equation. Most churches are expected to partner with experienced affordable housing developers because financing, tax credits and permitting remain major hurdles.
00:02:18:18 - 00:02:52:03
Ronan Mirza: Even California's pioneering gig law has produced relatively few completed projects so far. Whether you'd be ultimately delivers hundreds of thousands of homes or only a fraction of that. One thing is clear faith based organizations are becoming an unexpected new player in America's housing conversation. Congress has finally passed its long awaited 21st Century Road to Housing Act. The legislation creates new financing opportunities for affordable housing and manufactured housing, along with regulatory relief for community banks and higher FHA multifamily loan limits.
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Ronan Mirza: But critics say it largely sidesteps the biggest reasons housing remains so expensive. Restrictive zoning, rising land costs, labor shortages, insurance, expensive building materials and mortgage rates that continue to squeeze buyers. As Green Builder magazine editor in chief Matt Power points out. The bill tinkers around the edges while leaving the structural problems largely untouched. For now, America's housing affordability crisis remains exactly that a crisis.
00:03:19:02 - 00:03:45:23
Ronan Mirza: The debate over housing affordability is also playing out in Maryland, where officials are considering changes to the state's commercial energy code, which includes large multi-family buildings. Builder groups say the revisions would lower construction costs and make it easier to build much needed housing. Environmental groups and at least one state lawmaker say the proposal would weaken the 2024 IEC by eliminating a modest rooftop solar requirement and allowing some efficiency measures to be counted twice.
00:03:46:00 - 00:04:09:16
Ronan Mirza: Critics argue that may reduce upfront construction costs, but leave apartment residents paying higher utility bills for decades while placing additional strain on the electric grid. The proposal is open for public comment through July 27th. Marilyn isn't alone June legislative session showed just how divided states remain on building performance. New Hampshire declined to adopt the more efficient 2024 Energy Code.
00:04:09:17 - 00:04:35:14
Ronan Mirza: Delaware took no significant action on green building policy. Rhode Island rejected several proposals that would have expanded energy benchmarking, lead requirements for public buildings, and indoor air quality standards while leaving its existing climate law intact. The question is, should affordability mean lower construction costs today or lower operating costs for decades to come? Increasingly, that answer depends on what state you live in.
00:04:35:20 - 00:04:58:01
Ronan Mirza: It's summer, so let's see what everyone else seems to be doing. And head to Europe, one of the world's most ambitious, sustainable developments just reach another milestone in Athens, Greece. The Elena Con has unveiled The Courtyards, a new neighborhood with 324 homes and 85% of the homes released so far have already been sold or reserved. But the real story is the project itself.
00:04:58:02 - 00:05:24:23
Ronan Mirza: Instead of expanding onto farmland. Greece is transforming a former international airport into a 1530 acre smart city centered around a nearly 500 acre coastal park. More than 70% of this site will remain green or open space, while climate resilient infrastructure, lead certified buildings and walkable neighborhoods are designed around the idea that residents should be able to reach most daily destinations within a 15 minute walk.
00:05:25:00 - 00:05:52:12
Ronan Mirza: Projects like Florida's Babcock Ranch and Denver's former Stapleton redevelopment share some of these ideas, but the Illini Con combines resilient infrastructure, smart city technology and human scale design on an extraordinary scale. With construction well underway and new neighborhoods already opening, is becoming one of the world's most closely watched models for sustainable urban development. Speaking of innovative communities, Florida's Babcock Ranch is raising the bar once again this fall.
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Ronan Mirza: The nation's first solar powered town will launch the Southwest Florida Resilience Accelerator, an eight week program that will help startups develop and test technologies designed to make communities more resilient in the face of climate change. The focus goes well beyond solar panels. Entrepreneurs will work on everything from flood and wildfire modeling to AI powered building inspections, tougher construction materials, water management, offsite construction, energy storage and tools that help communities better understand long term climate and insurance risks.
00:06:22:05 - 00:06:45:03
Ronan Mirza: And instead of testing those ideas on a lab, participating companies will have the opportunity to pilot them in a real, rapidly growing community. Could clean air become the next luxury amenity? That's the question raised in a new salon commentary, arguing that while we don't receive a monthly air bill, many Americans are already paying for healthier indoor air through better filtration, advanced HVAC systems, air purifiers, and air quality monitors.
00:06:45:04 - 00:07:07:12
Ronan Mirza: The challenge is affordability. Some households can invest in tightly sealed, high performance homes with balanced ventilation and whole home filtration. Others rely on a portable air purifier, a box fan with a furnace filter or nothing at all. For builders, the bigger question is whether healthy indoor air should remain a premium upgrade or become a basic expectation in every new home.
00:07:07:14 - 00:07:37:15
Ronan Mirza: And if that sounds like a future problem, here's a reminder that it's already here. Wildfire smoke continues to affect millions of Americans, even hundreds of miles from the flames. Three simple steps can dramatically improve indoor air quality during smoke events. Install the highest Merv rated HVAC filter your system can handle. Ideally, Merv 13 or higher. Set your HVAC fan to recirculate and run continuously, and create a clean room using a Hepa air purifier or even a simple DIY box fan filter.
00:07:37:19 - 00:08:03:01
Ronan Mirza: When people think about heavy timber construction, they usually think beauty, strength and sustainability. But here's another reason builders are paying attention. Comfort. Heavy timber naturally absorbs and releases heat, helping moderate indoor temperatures. It also regulates humidity, contributes to healthier indoor air, and resists the cracking of warping that can come with temperature and moisture swings. Combined with a tight building envelope and structural insulated panels.
00:08:03:02 - 00:08:23:14
Ronan Mirza: Heavy timber can also improve energy performance. Another reminder that some of the best building innovations have actually been around for centuries. Some exciting news from the Green Builder media team. Our Vice President of cognition, Smart Data and Market Analytics, Jennifer Carson, has a new feature in Forbes highlighting vision House Asheville as a model for the future of American housing.
00:08:23:19 - 00:08:51:10
Ronan Mirza: The article explores how resilient construction, healthier materials, high performance building systems, solar plus storage and smart home technology can deliver homes that are healthier, more durable and less expensive to operate over the long term. Click the link to the article in the show notes. It's time for our Editors Product Pick of the week. According to the US Department of Energy, using a ceiling fan with your air conditioner allows you to raise your thermostat by about two degrees without sacrificing comfort.
00:08:51:11 - 00:09:15:09
Ronan Mirza: Energy star says that simple adjustments can reduce coolant costs by more than 14%. Hunters new 52 inch air stack outdoor Energy Star ceiling fan is designed to move more air while using less energy, making it a smart choice for porches, patios, and outdoor living spaces. And while we're on the subject, here are three quick cooling tips. Set your ceiling fan to spin counterclockwise during the summer.
00:09:15:13 - 00:09:48:16
Ronan Mirza: Turn it off and no one's in the room because fans cool people, not spaces. And choose an Energy Star certified fan that's properly sized for the room. Looking to build a career in high performance home building? The National Association of Home Builders is now accepting applications for its 2027 Sustainability and Green Building Scholarship. The program is open to emerging green builders between the ages of 25 and 35, and includes full registration to the International Builder Show in Las Vegas, a $1,300 travel stipend, and complimentary access to the NBS Green Pro designation course.
00:09:48:22 - 00:10:08:02
Ronan Mirza: Applications are due to 23. So if you know someone just getting started in sustainable construction, this could be a great opportunity. That's it for this week's Sustainable Building News. If you enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe and share it with someone who cares about the future of housing. Thanks for watching. And until next week, keep building better.
00:10:08:03 - 00:10:20:12
Melina Mirza: Here you go. Download and subscribe to the podcast wherever you get your podcast and for daily coverage on sustainability, housing, and the future of home building, visit Greenville. That's why we're tracking the trends and shaping what comes next.