The GreenZone--A New Home For Green-Thinking Businesses in the Coachella Valley

Oct. 13, 2009 - PRLog -- by Thom Gottberg

      The GreenZone is the first commercial property in the Coachella Valley to be renovated and leased exclusively to businesses focused on sustainability and the new green economy. The GreenZone building was previously home to Time Warner Cable and is located at 75-181 Mediterranean Avenue in Palm Desert. The renovation was specifically designed to accommodate very small startup businesses, or a small to medium size business, which require both office, showroom and/or warehouse space. The GreenZone also includes a hi-tech classroom/training area and a working environment that will inspire collaboration and innovation among the various green businesses. Currently the GreenZone is home to five green-thinking businesses and has room for more.

       The GreenZone renovation involved taking an older, very inefficient office-warehouse building and retrofitting it into an energy efficient and healthy working environment.  One of the most significant improvements made to promote a healthy working environment was a dramatic increase of natural light.  In fact, with the 70 Sola-Lite skylights now installed, no electrical lighting is required during the daylight hours—something that should be seen to be believed.  Old HVAC units were replaced with new high efficiency units and a 10 kW PV solar system has been installed by Renova Energy to enhance energy efficiency which can easily be expanded to 30kW depending on the energy requirements that are needed. It is anticipated that the energy enhancing upgrades should reduce the electric bills for the GreenZone by close to 80%.

        Other features include a new highly reflective foam insulated roof and the use of no VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints throughout the entire building. The new carpet is from recycled low VOC material and even low VOC glue was used for installation.  These uses of no and low VOCs in the paint and carpet resulted in almost no out gassing or odor from day one of installation.

        Water consumption has been greatly reduced by installing new low-flow toilets.   On the outside, the grass landscaping was removed and has been redone using desertscape and plants that require low amounts of water. There are also many other “green” features and materials used for the renovation. Although no green certifications were sought for this renovation, the strong objective to make the building as energy efficient and “green” as possible is obvious.
Some investors may consider the GreenZone renovation a risky action given the current commercial market conditions. However, Mr. Bernard White, the owner of the property, decided he could either let his commercial building sit vacant along with numerous other buildings in the immediate area, or he could try something innovative and help lead the way into the green movement.  The fact that Mr. White has invested over $400,000 (about $30/SF) for this green renovation shows his commitment to the cause and his willingness to explore new ways of doing business during these uncertain economic times.

        Will this investment pay off for Mr. White? Time will tell…however to date, the GreenZone has secured a number of new tenants and the majority of the neighboring commercial properties continue to remain vacant even after offering very low rental rates. Also key is the fact that this building required some form of renovation in order to attract any new tenant, given the competitive market that currently exists. Rather than approaching it from the typical cosmetic remodel, Mr. White showed forward thinking and innovation to attract new tenants.  Hopefully more property owners will follow Mr. White’s lead and green renovations will become the norm in the near future.  Studies continue to affirm that more and more business owners prefer to locate in energy efficient and healthy environment buildings when given the choice.  Clearly, it then follows suit that such buildings will lease up faster and at higher rental rates.

        A long-term objective for the GreenZone is for it to be an ongoing working model where new and innovative green materials and technologies will be added on a regular basis. The GreenZone is open during normal business hours and everyone is encouraged to come by to tour the property.

For more information, leasing contact and photos please go to:  http://coachellavalleygreen.com

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Coachella Valley Green (CVG) is an information gateway to the people, businesses and places that are green and sustainable within the Coachella Valley of CA and beyond--including Palm Springs, Palm Desert, La Quinta and Indio.