Atlanta’s First Green Condominium Project Unveils leed silver Plaque Grant Park’s Eco-friendly Oakland Park

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Atlanta’s First Green Condominium Project Unveils LEED Silver Plaque

Grant Park’s Eco-friendly Oakland Park
ATLANTA – The Oakland Park development team, partners and supporters recently celebrated the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification at an event where the building’s LEED Silver plaque was officially unveiled. Oakland Park, at 563 Memorial Drive, is the first multi-family housing project in Atlanta to receive LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The event was attended by media, partners, local government officials and representatives from area environmental organizations and included special remarks from Simon Tuohy, Financial Officer and Development Associate for Urban Realty Partners and project manager for Oakland Park; Mark B. Riley, Managing Partner, Urban Realty Partners; Scott Doksansky, Director of Portfolio Management, Melaver, Inc. and Peggy McCormick, President, Atlanta Development Authority.

"Oakland Park is an excellent example of Tax Allocation Districts making the difference in a project being built, said Peggy McCormick, President of the Atlanta Development Authority. “We consider Oakland Park to be one of the first catalytic projects on Memorial Drive. Thanks to the team involved, lead by Urban Realty."

The six-story building is remarkable because of the “forever views” of the Atlanta skyline that can be seen across Oakland Cemetery, and because of the care taken by developers to create an environmentally friendly building. Oakland Park is a joint venture project between Atlanta’s Urban Realty Partners and Melaver, Inc., a sustainable real estate developer based in Savannah, Ga.

“This day was very exciting for us,” said Mark B. Riley, Managing Partner, Urban Realty Partners. “The ceremony was a celebration of this building and a commitment to a sustainable future. We are proud to have taken these steps toward protecting our environment. From the ground up, Oakland Park residences are built using eco-friendly materials and processes and our residences feature products made from recycled materials, energy efficient and high performance interior and exterior finishes.

Achieving LEED-NC certification means that a third party has examined Oakland Park and its design, construction and potential for energy efficiency, and verified the developers made sound decisions that resulted in a more efficient construction site, with very little waste going to the landfill, and in a high performance building that will use less energy over time. In fact, 1,500 tons (or 80 percent) of the waste generated during construction was diverted from landfills and recycled.

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Bamboo floors, oversized, operable picture, low-emittance windows, eco-friendly tile and paint, high-performance plumbing fixtures and energy efficient appliances are the interior hallmarks of Oakland Park, which features 65 one and two bedroom residences and 6,400 square feet of street-front retail.

Oakland Park includes Foxgloves and Ivy floral design studio, Stella Neighborhood Trattoria restaurant, a new concept from restaurateur Rich Chey (who provided catering for the event), and will include retail space fronting Memorial Drive and Park Avenue. For more information, call 404-688-0300 or visit www.oaklandparkatlanta.com.
About US Green Building Council and LEED

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle.

Melaver, Inc., is a third generation, sustainably-focused real estate firm with holdings throughout the Southeast. Notable projects include one of the first Silver LEED designations from the U.S. Green Building Council for an historic preservation project in Savannah (The Whitaker Building), as well as the nation’s first all retail LEED Core & Shell project (Abercorn Common Shopping Center) in Savannah that includes the first and only LEED McDonald’s. Eighty-five percent of Melaver’s staff is LEED accredited professionals, and the company is committed to examining the environmental, financial and social aspects of every project in which it is involved.

Urban Realty Partners is an Atlanta-based real estate development organization that is focused on well planned, mixed-use urban developments that enhance their neighborhoods while providing exceptional places to live, work and shop. Their developments are often in revitalized neighborhoods with pedestrian orientation and convenience to city transit, amenities and educational, retail and cultural centers. Projects include Capitol Gateway and The Reynolds in midtown Atlanta, The Brookwood in Buckhead and Puritan Mill on Atlanta’s west side.