Free Housing Seminar presented by Exit Benchmark Realty
Why rent
when you can own
Your Local Real Estate Specialist Exit Benchmark Realty is hosting a Free 1st Time Homebuyer Seminar on Thursday, June 13th, 2013 from 5-8pm What’s Offered:
Thank you to our sponsors
1st Time Home Buyer Grants, Home buying & Credit Education, Pre-approval opportunities, & Tons more.. Lite refreshments will be served Seats Are Limited
Where: Penn Treaty Park Place, 1341 N Delaware Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19125 215-427-2870 ofďŹ ce phone www.exitbenchmark.com
s Application for Older Persons Housing s
SCOTTISH RITE TOWER 1530 Fitzwater Street, Phila., PA 19146
OUR WAITING LIST IS NOW OPEN Applications are available from Monday through Friday for persons 62 years and older, Section 8 subsidy is available for each apartment, utilities included. Residents pay 30% of their monthly income.
CALL 215.545.0460 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY
Zipcar On site! We’ll pay your 1st Year!
4501 :063 /&95 "1"35.&/5 *4 3*()5 )&3&
New!
Living. These green townhouses were a long time in the making. Some things are worth the long wait. In the case of Stable Flats, or simply “the Stables,� the wait is nearly over and the payoff for patience looks splendid. The former horse-holding location is evolving into an eco-friendly, 27-unit townhouse building, with three units completed so far. Collaborating on design and development are Onion Flats and Domani, and to say it’s been a long time coming would be an understatement. The Stables, formerly used to house the working horses of Old City, was dreamed up as a residential project years ago, but put on hold. “In 2008 the world fell apart, and so did this project,� says Onion Flats president Tim McDonald, referring to the economy’s influence on the housing market. “It started as a different project,� he adds. “It was going to be a 70-unit condo proj-
Before the ďŹ rst three units were completed, they looked like this. / ONION FLATS
ect, but we changed it to a townhouse building a few years ago, partially because of our interest in Passive House.� The Passive House Institute is an organization that
Agents on duty Call Leasing for Your Appointment
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OPEN HOUSE ĂŠĂŠ->ĂŒĂ•Ă€`>Ăž]ĂŠ >ÞÊ£nĂŒÂ…]ÊÓä£ÎÊUĂŠÂŁÂŁ ‡£* Corner of 31st & Page Street
$100 off
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24/7 Main. & Security Close to Shopping & Pennypack Park Spacious Designs Tons of Closet Space Free Parking ... And Lots More!
www.MyRevere.com
215.676.5056 Leasing 215.676.2220 Main OfďŹ ce
20
People, not horses, to occupy the Stables development in trendy Northern Liberties
Sunday Hours !!!
4"-&
HOME
www.metro.us Wednesday, May 15, 2013
ATTN First Time Home Buyers
Sierra Thomas Friends Rehabilitation Program, Inc. 215-825-8800 x110 sthomas@frpinc.org www.smtownhomes.com
has created a certified standard for energy-efficient homes. The Stables will be the second “passive� house in the state, meaning it meets all airtight, low-energy regulations, and heating costs can be reduced by as much as 90 percent. That means one seriously green building. Oh, and the first project in Pennsylvania to wear the Passive House crown? That would be Belfield Homes in North Philly — also by Onion Flats. The developer wants to prove that although the energy efficiency bar is set pretty high for a passive house, creating one is not an impossible feat. “With the Stables, we’re learning if the system of building that we designed is repeat-
able. Was Belfield a fluke or can we do it again? I think the Stables is a demonstration of a way of building,� explains McDonald. “I see no reason we wouldn’t continue to build this way.� Great news for all the energy-conscious folks who are in the market for inventive and sustainable housing. “The thing about Passive House is you can design a project, but it has to be airtight. The way you test that is with a blower door. That’s always the geek-fest moment of truth, when you’re all standing around the blower door to see if you hit the most difficult standard in the world.�
JULIA WEST
letters@metro.us