The Sustainable Community is Montana’s first LEED Gold Neighborhood Development (LEED ND) Project
The U.S. Green Building Council recently certified Bozeman’s Bridger View neighborhood as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Neighborhood Development (ND) under the Version 4 rating system. This unique development addresses housing inequity, creates a connected and compact neighborhood, and promotes sustainable building practices. Bridger View is the first LEED ND Gold project in the Rocky Mountain Region to be certified under v4, confirming the development as one of the region’s most sustainable neighborhoods.
The project was designed to ensure long-term, high-quality, sustainable affordability, healthy living, walkability, and neighborhood character. Currently under construction, Bridger View features 62 housing units and is envisioned as a diverse neighborhood where households at various income levels, stages of life, sizes, and backgrounds can afford to purchase a home in Bozeman. Adjacent to Bozeman’s Story Mill Community Park, Bridger View sits on 8 acres with shared open spaces and pedestrian connections to the park and local trail systems.
As noted on the USGBC project page, strategies contributing to the LEED certification include:
- Design for Wellbeing. The neighborhood’s compact and walkable design provides abundant green space and access to natural outdoor amenities. The homes are also optimized for indoor environmental quality with daylighting, views to outside, and non-emitting materials.
- Design for Resource Efficiency. Residents will enjoy comfortable homes configured to use more than 40% less energy than the estimated baseline for similar units in the region, while shared amenities and common spaces allow for greater density with limited land use. Efficient water fixtures and sustainable landscaping also contribute to water use reduction.
- Design for Ecology. The neighborhood compliments the adjacent wildlife habitat with special care taken to avoid light pollution, preserve and enhance tree canopy cover, and provide areas with native vegetation throughout the development.
- Design for Affordability. Bridger View’s innovative financing model provides a high standard of sustainable living for working-class families and individuals, enabling home ownership priced below the typical local market rate.
The project team — which includes evolveEA, Hennebery Eddy Architects’ Comma-Q Studio, GroundPrint Consulting, Stahly Engineering and Associates, and Navigate Consulting — was delighted to see our sustainable design strategies verified through the LEED ND rating system, demonstrating an unprecedented achievement that will become a model for future development. Bridger View’s first available units will be completed and occupied later this year. Learn more at the Bridger View website and Headwaters Community Housing Trust.