CARBONDALE — Developers are planning a “net-zero” neighborhood in Carbondale that produces as much electricity as it uses, or more.
The TCI Lane Ranch project will include 89 homes with high-efficiency appliances and passive solar design. The development will also have a $2.7 million solar array with more than 1,000 solar panels that will pump enough energy back into the electrical grid to offset the power consumed by the community.
The development covers 100 acres, but the homes will be clustered onto a third of the land, with the rest left as open space.
The development was designed by Bonsai Communities and Noble Design Studios.
Bonsai will use green construction practices, including running its trucks on biodiesel and purchasing materials such as gravel from the closest available source, not the least expensive vendor.
Paul Spencer, president of Carbondale-based Bonsai, said sales probably won’t start until 2010.
The Associated Press
