Regarding a recent letter to the editor (“Promoting Renewable Energy,” Connection, Mach 8-14, 2018), I want to share how Liberty has taken a progressive and responsible approach to our shared environment.
Liberty is an adaptive reuse project, which means that old buildings are repurposed into structures that meet a modern need. This reuse has prevented the materials of 47 historic buildings from going into landfills. Additionally, reusing buildings eliminates the need to extract and process raw materials to build new structures.
The project included the cleanup of several environmental hazards from past uses at the site. State of the art stormwater management techniques and facilities were employed, including the organic improvement of more than five acres of hard-pan soil and the use of permeable pavements that slow runoff. Six bioretention facilities, capture and treat stormwater runoff to reduce phosphorus content before it enters local streams. One stormwater facility takes the runoff from over 8 acres and infiltrates it back into the ground. Over 500 new trees will be planted, and 6 acres of forested land has been placed in a conservation easement. These efforts actually reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from the site compared to before the development began.
The builder of the new houses is following the Energy Star program, a green building certification program, to equip each house with energy-saving appliances and features. Liberty homes and apartments include environmentally progressive features like high SEER HVAC equipment, eco-friendly low-VOC paint, WaterSense certified low-water use plumbing fixtures, and Energy Star appliances and fans.
Finally, Liberty Lorton will be a mixed-use development—with retail, recreation, and housing all in one place. This walkable living plan reduces the use of fossil fuels in transportation.
We view the Lorton community as our partner, and we honor our role in treating it well and developing responsibly for its future.
Jack Perkins
Elm Street Development