Bank Lofts Garnering Awards, Recognition
By DAN SULLIVAN
RICHFIELD SPRINGS
Before it is even finished, the ambitious Bank Lofts project at 118 Main Street in Richfield Springs is attracting accolades and a lot of positive attention, having been featured recently in “Passive House Accelerator” magazine.”
The project is a venture combining three entities into the team: River Architects PLLC, represented by Juhee Lee-Hartford; Dooalot LLC, in the persons of Faith Gay and Francesca Zambello, the owner/developers, and Josh Edmonds of Simple Integrity LLC, the builders. The New York Department of State selected the project as one of 10 regionally-significant projects to share $12 million in support as part of its Carbon Neutral Community Development Plan. In addition, New York State Energy Research and Development awarded a Buildings of Excellence designation in its Round Three competition for Early Design Support. The latter award is meant to spotlight plans for replicable and carbon-neutral multifamily buildings that model safe, comfortable living spaces for people who occupy them while creating attractive, long-term business opportunities for owners in a classic win-win situation.
Energy efficiency and carbon neutrality are hallmarks of the project. To guide the team in reaching this target, the Phius CORE 2021 standards are a minimum goal. The rigorous Phius CORE protocol has 10 standards of building performance which translates into simplified, all-electric mechanical systems and overall reduction in energy use. The Bank Lofts project will produce a significant portion of its own energy, in fact; an 18.284 kWh/tr solar array on the parking lot’s canopies will power the building’s systems as well as the on-site electric vehicle charging stations.
As the Bank Lofts team envisioned the project, they paid attention to the town and village Comprehensive Plan, a joint document adopted in 2018 that itself won the Comprehensive Plan Award from the New York Planning Federation. Several goals of the Comprehensive Plan are implemented in the completion of Bank Lofts: the need for desirable market-rate rental housing (10 units in all); more and better shopping in the downtown (first floor commercial space); sustainability, as a carbon neutral building, and historic preservation. With three historic districts and 191 contributing buildings and structures in Richfield, many in need of restoration, the Bank Lofts is a beacon to stimulate more restoration and repurposing. Residents of the Richfield area have a strong sentimental attachment to many building in the historic districts, and 118 Main Street is one of the favorites. It is still referred to as the “bank,” even though there has been no financial institution there since the mid-1960s. The project is likely to inspire other restoration, as plans are being made for three more projects on Main Street in the near future. The Town of Richfield’s recently submitted New York Forward application proposes historic street signage and streetscape improvements to complement restoration efforts like the Bank Lofts.
In the days soon after the building was purchased in 2022 by Dooalot LLC, Josh Edmonds of Simple Integrity LLC was asked about the challenges of restoring a 140-year-old building and bringing it to carbon-neutrality.
“It should be an interesting palette to work with!” Edmonds said.
With each passing day, the finished product comes more into view and excitement grows in the community as a grand old edifice is restored to glory.
To read the full article in “Passive House Accelerator” magazine,” visit https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/articles/mainstreaming-clean-energy-on-main-street-usa