We are thrilled to announce that Legacy Square, our LEED for Homes Platinum-certified community in Santa Ana, has been selected from a pool of international contenders as a 2024 Outstanding Affordable Housing Project by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This prestigious selection adds to a growing list of honors for the all-electric Legacy Square, which blends beautiful aesthetics with forward-thinking sustainability concepts and community-focused transit programs.
“This is a momentous recognition for Legacy Square and the teams at National CORE who envisioned, built and operate Legacy Square,” President Michael Ruane said.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the leading authority on green building and the global developer of the LEED green building program, celebrating residential projects that benefit communities through sustainable, healthy and resilient design. Winners are chosen by a panel of independent judges. Legacy Square is one of three projects to earn the 2024 award. The others include Las Flores in Santa Monica, California, and Rockland Homes for Heroes in New York.
Legacy Square features 93 spacious apartments around a central plaza, including 33 that serve previously unhoused individuals and families. A rooftop solar panel system generates 36% of Legacy Square’s total need. Cool roofing materials and tight building envelopes reduce energy demands, while green open space areas with drought-tolerant landscaping improve stormwater management. A heat pump water system and an array of water controls minimize water waste.
A transit-oriented development, the community is next to an Orange County Streetcar station and close to a Metrolink station. National CORE invested a $10 million state grant into regional rail line upgrades, bike paths, safer routes to school, a pocket park and street beautification. Additionally, our onsite team is working with a nonprofit to provide bike repairs for residents and offers all residents three years of free bus passes.
Legacy Square represents one of our strongest community collaborations and innovative financing approaches. We developed Legacy Square on underutilized land owned by the Santa Ana United Methodist Church. The church’s support and an intensive community outreach program helped shape the development to better serve local residents and speed approvals.
The development previously has been recognized with the Orange County Project of the Year award, a Pacific Coast Builders Council Gold Nugget Award of Merit and a Southern California Association of Governments Sustainability Award.
Tim Kohut, a leading voice in the sustainable construction and design industry, oversees National CORE’s sustainability team. Tim, a lecturer at the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, is an architect with multiple certifications in energy analysis who helped pioneer the use of solar power in multi-family housing.
“We are honored be recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for our Legacy Square development,” Tim said. “The development represents one of our strongest achievements to date and has already become a baseline as we pursue even more innovative design options for future developments.”