rebecca williams, national trust for historic preservation

Green Preservation ofHistoric Buildings

Rebecca WilliamsProgram OfficerNortheast Office

The Wauregan, Norwich, CT

Helping people protect, enhance and enjoy the places that matter to them.

Our Mission

www.PreservationNation.org

Our Sustainability Roots

Image: National Trust for Historic Preservation

EMILY WADHAMS

Vice President, Public Policy

PATRICE FREY

Deputy Director, Sustainability

Program

BARBARA A. CAMPAGNA, FAIA LEED AP

Graham Gund Architect of the

National Trust

Source: USGBC and Pew Center on Climate Change

Why Buildings Matter

43% of carbon emissions

65% of electricity consumption

55% of natural gas consumption

39% of total energy

consumption

30% of greenhouse gas emissions

30% of raw materials use

30% of waste (construction and demolition)

12% of potable water consumption

1.) Reuse existing buildings

2.) Reinvest in communities

3.) Retrofit older buildings

4.) Respect historic integrity

SUSTAINABLE STEWARDSHIP PRINCIPLES

Image: Abby Martin

Why Preservation Matters for Housing

• Good for neighborhoods• Smart Growth• Opens up financial tools• Sustainability connection

Good for Neighborhoods

• Over 40% of residents in older and historic neighborhoods are within 5 miles of work.

• 2/3 of older and historic neighborhoods have an elementary school within 1 mile.

• 60% have shopping within 1 mile

• 60% public transit

• Rehabilitation creates 2-3 times more housing units, more jobs, and higher wages

• More than 40% of the housing units created using the federal rehabilitation tax credit are in historic buildings originally designed for non-residential use

Preservation is Smart Growth

Financial Tools

• Federal Rehab Tax Credit

• State Rehab Tax Credit

• In MA, Community Preservation Act (CPA)

• Loans, e.g. NTHP Loan Fund

• New Markets Tax Credit

Federal Rehab Tax Credit

• Project must be income-producing

• Building must be listed in or eligible for the National Register

• Must follow Secretary of the Interior’s Standards

• The rehabilitation must be “substantial”

• 20% credit

• Can be combined with other credits

• 5 year recapture period

Federal Rehab Tax Credit Impact FY09

• In FY09, 6,710 low and moderate income housing units created

• 13,743 housing units created or renovated

• 70,992 local jobs created

• $4.69 Billion in rehab work approved

• 1,044 new projects approved

National Register

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards

Historic District

Section 106

National Park Service

Tax CreditLandmark

Preservation Restriction

Easement

Historic

SHPO

So What About Those Strings?

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards

The Secretary’s Standards include 4 levels: of appropriate treatment:

• Preservation• Rehabilitation• Restoration• Reconstruction

• The Standards are 10 key guidelines

• They’re designed to be flexible

• A wide range of activities can be done, but it’s important to work with your SHPO and the NPS in advance

Rehabilitation

• The act or process of making possible a compatible use for a property through repair, alterations, and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its historical, cultural, or architectural values.

The Solar Panel

Compatibility Guide

Coming soon to PreservationNation.org

Renewable Energy

Solar panel on house in historic district in Brookville, MD, Photo: NTHP

www.PreservationNation.org/issues/weatherization/

Federal Policy: Incentives to Go GreenGreening older and historic buildings

Great A & P Tea Company +

Trinity Design/ Build

Durham, NCPhotos: Trinity Design

For more information…

www.preservationnation.org/green

Rebecca_Williams@nthp.org

Rehabilitated affordable housing in New Haven, CT