At Green Street, building sustainably often goes beyond LEED certification. It’s about looking to the future. The Jefferson Commons area was once a Kroger grocery store, but then stood vacant for more than eight years. We brought new life to the area – and a new grocer to a federally recognized food desert.

Building as a community

As we renovated the single-tenant site, we divided space, added an out-lot building and developed a plan to serve the surrounding neighborhoods. We hosted an initial meeting within the Gate District neighborhood that was well attended and started to not only build excitement, but get people involved. Throughout the building process, we continued to meet with community members, some of which have taken advantage of the added jobs from retailers within Jefferson Commons.

Toward a greener future

The construction of this project brought LEED-certified building practices to the area, highlighted by a 99Kw rooftop solar system, which creates more than 16% of the building’s energy needs. The efficiency carries through the building, and even outside to the landscaping, which uses native plants to reduce the need for watering. For the newly finished building, we worked with Save-a-lot Markets, H&R Block, a beauty supply and a fitness center to bring new locations to St. Louis. For the out-lot locations, we continued to bring more food options to the area with Subway and Wing Zone restaurants both of which are women and minority owned businesses.

So we’re certainly proud of the sustainable impact the renovation will have on tenants and the community.

Project In Numbers
50,500 SF
$8M
2013

LEED Certification

Sustainable Sites
  • Site selection
  • Development density and community connectivity
  • Brownfield redevelopment
  • Alternative transportation (public transportation access, bike storage, fuel efficient vehicles, parking capacity)
  • Site development (maximize open space)
  • Stormwater design (quantity, quality control)
  • Reduce heat island effect (roof materials and full build)
  • Light pollution reduction
Water Efficiency
  • Water efficient landscaping (reduced by 50%+ and no potable water used in irrigation)
Materials and Resources
  • Light colored roofing material for lower emissivity
  • 75%+ of construction waste diverted from disposal