LOS ANGELES, CA, — West 27^th Place, a USC student housing community, has just received a LEED Platinum rating—the highest level of sustainability possible from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). It is one of a handful of Platinum certified developments in Los Angeles and one of the only student housing projects in the nation achieving this milestone.

The mixed-use community includes 161 apartment units and was developed by CityView and Symphony Development. The project, which opened for the fall semester and is fully leased, is now owned by Kayne Anderson Real Estate Advisors, the private equity real estate arm of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors that invests in specialized real estate sectors.

West 27^th Place offers studios and one to four bedrooms, with square footages ranging from 425 to 1,364. Located at the intersection of Figueroa and West 27th, the project will also bring 10,000 square feet of shops and restaurants to the area, including the popular hamburger chain Five Guys Burgers and Fries.

“Both environmental sustainability and student comfort were top priorities in building West 27th Place. The ultimate goal was to create a new apartment complex that would fit the USC student community,” said Henry Cisneros, Executive Chairman, CityView.

“One item after another was analyzed and designed to deliver dual benefits—to suit the needs of tenants and also to be enviro-friendly,” explains David Hilliard, president of Symphony Development, the developer of West 27^th Place. “We performed this analysis literally on every single component of the building, from windows to insulation to even our elevator, which is a high-speed OTIS unit that actually generates electricity on its down cycle and returns electricity to the grid.”

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts. LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

“Consistent with the goals of the city of Los Angeles, we sought to be a LEED certified building,” says Cisneros. “We found that there were several benefits. First, we found that most students have already adopted a more ‘green’ lifestyle. It seemed natural that students would seek out a ‘green’ building as their preferred housing choice. It also makes sense from a long-term economical standpoint. Green buildings have longer life expectancies and lower operating costs than their conventionally-built counterparts. These really drove our desire to go ahead and follow through very diligently with a sustainable building technique that would achieve the LEED Platinum certification.”

Like so much in real estate, the ecofriendly aspects of West 27th Place begin with location. The project is situated near multiple community resources and ample public transportation, including a stop on USC Transit’s A Route and a station on the new Expo light rail line. The parking garage offers preferred spaces for low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles as well as convenient bicycle storage for more than 300 bicycles.

Top 10 Strategies West 27^th used to obtain LEED Platinum.

1) With West 27^th Place, Symphony Development recycled nearly 95 percent of its construction waste. Now completed, the building includes a permanent on-site recycling program.

2) All units have low flow water fixtures and the appliances are Energy Star rated right down to the exhaust fan in the bathroom.

3) West 27^th Place is located near several forms of public transportation, including the bus, Expo light rail line and the university's tram system. Residents don’t need a car!

4) The community utilizes motion sensor lighting in its common areas. This eliminates any unnecessary use of electricity for lighting.

5) All walls, windows and roofs at West 27^th Place have the highest levels of insulation. Maintenance crews test all of the air conditioning and vent ducts to make sure they are as air tight as possible.  

6) A modular framing system was used in constructions. The walls were built off site, and assembled upon delivery to the job. This minimized wood waste and increased construction efficiency.  

7) All drywall waste was recycled, with the gypsum used for farming and new drywall manufacturing.

8) West 27^th Place has joined forces with "Plant a Billion" and for every $1 donated, they plant a tree. There is a donation bucket in the leasing office.

9) Bricks from the original building were deconstructed, cleaned and recycled.

10) Landscaping consists of drought tolerant plants and the furniture and carpeting are formaldehyde free and made with recycled content in nearby factories.

About CityView

Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in New York, Dallas and San Antonio, CityView has invested in and developed more than $2 billion in real estate assets since 2003. CityView is one of the nation's premier institutional investment firms focused on urban real estate, in-city housing, and metropolitan infrastructure and is a fully-integrated operating company with an active management approach. CityView was founded in 2000 by Henry Cisneros, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in President Clinton's Administration, on the premise of smart capital for smart growth and currently manages multiple funds, all focused on urban solutions.  CityView has developed projects in 30 markets across 13 states and also continues to focus on metropolitan infrastructure and multi-family acquisitions.  For more information, visit www.cityview.com.

About Symphony Development

Founded in 1991, Symphony Development focuses on in-fill residential and commercial projects in major metropolitan areas in Southern California. The company’s development efforts cover a wide range of projects including student housing, high-end residences, town homes and mixed-use retail developments. For more information, visit www.symphonydevelopment.com.