While reducing Washington’s overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy consumption by 50% by 2032 is an arduous task, leaders across various sectors throughout the city are working together to achieve the goal. Since buildings account for more than 70% of local emissions, real estate leaders and environmental stewards are urging them to prioritize green and affordable housing.
“The affordable housing system is really in crisis in the District, and if the nation’s capital can’t figure out how to do it, that’s a really bad sign for the rest of the nation as well,” Mark James, founder and managing member of Urban Green, LLC, told The Informer. “I’m hoping that people will keep these things in mind and try to find more innovative ways to create more affordable housing that includes sustainability.”
Urban Green, LLC is one of the multiple home builders in the Washington Metropolitan Area committed to providing Washingtonians with eco-friendly, affordable and resilient residences. By remaining steadfast in its dedication, the company is playing its part in safeguarding the city’s air quality and public health.
Somerset Development Company is another developer dedicated to providing residents with reliable and accessible housing in Washington and Baltimore. In Baltimore, the company focuses on breaking down historical lines of segregation, whereas in Washington, it prioritizes combating the effects of large-scale gentrification.
“We want to be building not just housing that lasts, but a city that lasts,” Patrick McAnaney, Somerset’s DC Development director, told The Informer. “Our goal of green housing, it’s not just the environmental mission… but also we think building high-quality green sustainable housing is also building housing that will last long term.”
Green buildings, like the ones both development companies have worked to bring to the city, are environmentally responsible structures that are resource-efficient and use less energy to mitigate the effects of both outdoor and indoor air pollution. Many, if they meet the requirements, are awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Rated on a point-based system, buildings can be ranked as Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum, the highest of the four.
Unfortunately, the city is experiencing a time when funding for initiatives like these is limited. The Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF) is a major resource in Washington designed to produce and preserve affordable housing projects. In the 2026 Fiscal Year (FY26) Budget, this trust fund was cut from $100 million to $63 million.
“We’ve got to find more funding to do the planning for this, so that developers who want to do it but don’t know how to… can get [the] support to make it happen,” James told The Informer, “because the end result is healthier buildings for low-income residents who don’t have a choice on where they live.”
D.C. Green Bank: Financing the Infrastructure of Tomorrow
While government funding for affordable and green housing projects may be slim, stakeholders in the region, such as D.C. Green Bank (DCGB), are helping advance sustainable and accessible housing. Dedicated to the mission of building a thriving, more equitable city through accelerating the transition to clean energy, this tool provides businesses and institutions with financing solutions that help ease the adoption of eco-friendly systems such as solar energy, energy-efficient buildings, transportation electrification and stormwater resilience.
“What’s really amazing about the District is that the nation’s capital has been pioneering ways to approach that work,” DCGB CEO Brandi Colander told The Informer. “We are really excited to be a part of the ability to help people make those dreams come true by helping them to finance that… in a way that reduces the friction and makes sure we’re building the right thing for the long term.”
According to the green bank’s FY25 Annual Report, 2025 was its second-largest lending year, with more than $25 million invested in 11 initiatives. Per the report, DCGB’s projected impact on the economy and environment through these projects includes: 4,400 jobs created, 28,750,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of solar energy production, 21,000 metric tons of GHG emission reductions and 429,000 gallons of stormwater retention capacity per storm event.
For the last eight years, DCGB has been committed to building the “infrastructure for tomorrow,” a mission that was clear with its first project, which included adding solar panels to a community co-op in Ward 7’s Fairfax Village. Having worked in sustainability across various federal spaces, Colander is excited to continue making a direct impact on the hyper-local level.
“This is where I live; this is where I could not be more invested, quite frankly,” Colander told The Informer. “Why shouldn’t we be able to dream a little bit bigger and to start actually putting skin in the game and resources to see if it works, because we’re making really informed investments?”
Cycle House, Faircliff Offer Improved Living Experiences
The green bank helped finance Cycle House, a net-zero LEED Gold residence completed in January that Urban Green developed with Heleos LLC and VNV Development. It also provided Somerset Development, Jonathan Rose Companies and Housing Up a $1.85 million predevelopment loan to help the Faircliff, an energy-efficient affordable residence completed in December 2024, reach LEED Platinum status.
With the completion of Cycle House, DCGB, Urban Green, and other partners made strides in the push for green, accessible housing, as the project is Washington’s first net-zero, all-affordable housing community. The building’s high-efficiency HVAC systems, Energy Star appliances and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) WaterSense fixtures allow it to generate 100% of the energy it produces annually and keep residents from having to pay an electricity bill.
With ventilation systems that pump air outside rather than into the hallways, and the use of materials for floors, countertops and cabinets that don’t outgas, or emit noxious gases, Cycle House preserves its residents’ health and advances Urban Green’s mission of serving low-income communities
“If we’re not proactive, these are all the same individuals that are showing up at emergency rooms or doctor visits,” James told The Informer. “ I always thought it was better to be proactive about it, and to not trigger things that may be… damaging to [the] human condition, regardless of whether you’re upper income or lower income; it’s always cheaper to be proactive than reactive.”
The mindset at Somerset Development is similar, as McAnaney told The Informer that the company is trying to do its part in reducing emissions to make energy and water consumption as low as possible for its residences. He said this is especially a priority in affordable housing communities where people may be more susceptible to respiratory issues.
“We view it as really about the health of our residents, the health of our buildings long term, and the health of the city,” McAnaney told The Informer. “If we are serious about the mission of building good-quality affordable housing for folks, it needs to be under circumstances by which they can thrive, that they can live full lives.”
The Faircliff is Washington’s most energy-efficient affordable housing development, built with the intent to show that sustainable design can truly improve residents’ and communities’ quality of life. With an air-leak-free design and ample electric-vehicle charging space, the building takes a multifaceted approach to improving the area’s air quality.
Even with the existence of resources like DCGB, McAnaney still acknowledges that funding is a large barrier in advancing these initiatives and prioritizing green building space across the Washington Metropolitan region. Given that the city’s budget for these initiatives is limited and eco-friendly architecture can be rather expensive, McAnaney hopes leaders and stakeholders can find a way to bend the cost curve downward.
“What I’m really hoping for the next two years is, is we keep doing projects, we keep learning, and we keep learning how to do it better for cheaper,” he told The Informer, “and then it’s going to be easier and easier to justify these investments, even despite a challenging budget environment.”
