Fairwood Commons Uses Energy-Efficient Design To Enhance the Affordability of Aging in Place

February 2, 2021  

Fairwood Commons Uses Energy-Efficient Design To Enhance the Affordability of Aging in Place

HUD User publishes a series of case studies based on federal, state, and local strategies that increase affordable housing opportunities, apply sustainable features and practices, and increase access to public transportation. The projects featured in these reports have demonstrated innovation through a multitude of partnerships and initiatives. Each report outlines a project's objectives and the development strategies used to achieve them.

Opened in 2018, Fairwood Commons is an affordable 54-unit apartment building for seniors in the historic Franklin Park neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. Regional affordable housing developer Woda Cooper Companies (WCC) and the local nonprofit East Columbus Development Company undertook the $12.2 million project to provide low-income seniors with an option for aging in place in the rapidly changing Near East Side neighborhood, which had been experiencing rising property values since the early 2010s. To enhance long-term affordability for residents by lowering their energy bills, WCC chose to build Fairwood Commons to Passive House Institute US standards, creating the first building in Ohio to achieve such certification.

Visit HUD User's Case Studies page to learn more about affordable homeownership and to view other promising examples of how communities across the nation are raising the bar on sustainable community development.

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