The city of Kent could soon be able to lay claim to having Ohio’s first carbon neutral “eco-village.”
Urban Imperial Development is set to break ground next year on a 144-unit sustainable housing project after it was green lit by the Kent City Planning Commission in September.
The development will take place in the southern part of the city, near the intersection of Highway 261 and State Route 43.
Tim Madden, president of Urban Imperial, said several development features, like solar roofs and electric vehicle charging stations, will help the project maintain a carbon neutral footprint.
In its second phase, the project will also use a technology known as combined cooling heat and power to provide efficient electricity.
A natural gas generator acts as the primary source of electricity. Then, the thermal energy created in the process of generating electricity is used for heating and cooling.
Madden said that while natural gas may not be conventionally thought of as carbon neutral, carbon dioxide would not be released using this power system.
“There's a technology that exists to scrub the CO2 off of the exhaust and capture it,” he said. “Then it can be reused for things where it doesn't get emitted back into the environment.”
Bridget Susel, Kent’s community development director, said the development will not only meet the city’s climate action goals but also its housing needs.
Susel said that the city is “over-inventoried” when it comes to student housing but needs more options for working families. The eco-village development will offer two-bedroom units, at least one-third of which will be set aside for voucher housing through the Portage County Metropolitan Housing Authority.
Madden said that in addition to providing voucher housing, he is hopeful the development’s combined cooling heat and power technology, once implemented, will keep the cost of utilities low.
“We hope that this is a pilot project, or poster-child example, of how to develop an energy efficient net-zero residential neighborhood or community that could be replicated,” he said.
