When Oshara Village came on the market in late 2006 it sold quickly with over 100 lots selling in just a few months and sustainable homes were built until the crash of 2007. Over the ensuing 3 years Oshara has continued to innovate adding affordable Zero Energy Homes but the real estate economy has made it difficult to move forward. As a Village Founder and the managing member for six years, I continue to work with the residents and Westgate Management who are providing management services to Oshara Village. All Oshara Village Home Owner Associations are fully functional and should not be impacted by the change in ownership of these relatively few remaining lots. I hope to quickly work through any remaining legal issues so the Bank may sell these assets within Oshara to a committed developer with the financial capacity to move Oshara forward.

The economic conditions have changed how Oshara Village will proceed but the fundamental design of Oshara as a sustainable community providing walkable design and Zero Energy Homes in the face of rising fuel prices is still sound. I want to thank Santa Fe County staff for their leadership and remind them that even though the world economy has caused these problems, the Village is working well for it’s residents and will act as a model, proving your vision for sustainable community design. Oshara Village will continue to grow and fulfill its promise for the future of the Community College District and Santa Fe as a whole.

Alan Hoffman
New Village Consulting LLC

With 33 years of experience in environmental homes and communities Alan Hoffman is expanding the services offered by Natural Homes, a Green marketing group within Prudential Santa Fe Real Estate. Natural Homes is excited to show you what “Green Really Means”

The term “Green Home” is often misused in this evolving real estate market and many buyers are not sure what Green really means. To provide a base line understanding, Natural Homes has launched a new Website, NewVillage.com where the public can learn what Green homes really are. It covers the issues of energy efficiency, healthy home requirements, efficient lighting and appliances, New Urban design and it shows how a Green home is rated and certified. Visit NewVillage.com and gain insight into Passive Solar designs, LEED certified buildings, sustainable communities and Green retrofits. To tell the difference between true Green and the deceptive practice of “Green Washing” go to NewVillage.com and read “What Green Really means.”

The real estate market in Santa Fe New Mexico has fared relatively well in this down turn due to moderate inflation over the last 20 years and pioneering sustainable innovations. In this evolving market, that is beginning to value energy efficiency, Natural Homes can help you build a Zero Energy Home at a surprising price. We can also tell you how an existing house performs, how to pay a reasonable price for that house and how to make Green improvements. Our experience can help you get the deal closed in this challenging real estate economy.

It is our goal to help you buy a home that is within your means, more sustainable and can provide the financial security of reduced energy costs. For Green Buyer/Broker Services in Northern New Mexico call Alan Hoffman with Natural Homes at 505 316 0449 today and start down the road to a healthy, energy efficient home.

Zero Energy Home Your Family Can Afford

Oshara Village, located in the Santa Fe Community College District is gaining attention as one of the nations greenest communities with three sustainable elements already in place and operating. (Google: Obama Future Today)

Oshara Village is designed around a central Plaza and brings together places to live, work, shop, go to school and gather for recreation all within walking distance. This type of mixed-use urban design is known to reduce the number of miles driven and provide the residents more exercise and free time. Oshara is approved for over a million square feet of employment and office space to maximize the number of residents that can walk to work. Oshara is also on the Santa Fe Trails Bus line making it possible to live without a car for those who choose to.

Secondly, Oshara Village has completed a state of the art water reclamation plant that takes all wastewater, both grey and black and reclaims it to an A1 standard for irrigation and commercial uses and the homes are equipped with water conserving appliances and fixtures. These two water conserving elements reduce by over half the potable water used as compared to the County allocation, saving the home owner significant water costs and making Oshara a lush oasis in the desert.

And now, Oshara Village features true “Zero Energy Homes” that reduce energy use by generating electricity with solar panels on the roof saving a resident 100% on their energy bill plus paying a Renewable Energy Credit in a monthly check. Artistic Homes, the largest local builder in New Mexico and the largest builder of energy efficient homes in the United States, is offering beautifully designed homes that feature a private courtyard, hand finished walls, high quality fixtures and start at less than $300,000, a very reasonable price by Santa Fe standards.

As Oshara Village begins design of its second phase, two additional goals come into focus. With the water available from the reclamation plant, agriculture and alternative fuel production are viable. Both commercial greenhouses and Algae oil cultivation are on the horizon as locally owned enterprises providing decentralized food and fuel production. Between walkable mixed-use design, water reclamation, and on site energy generation already in place, Oshara is cutting energy needs by over 60% and with the addition of agriculture and fuel production, Oshara is moving towards self-sufficiency.

The Oshara Model disproves the widely held myth that Green Homes and Green Communities are expensive and out of the reach of working Americans. I believe that the real estate crash of 2007 has forever changed America. For the first time since World War II, Americans are redefining the meaning of “quality of life” to not be about a big house in the suburbs but instead about lowered economic stress, more free time with friends and family and the ability to travel. Oshara Village proves that sustainable communities can be reasonably priced, and with the savings in transportation and energy costs, are a great long-term opportunity for working families.

For information: Alan Hoffman
505 316 0449 village@newvillage.com

Zero Energy Homes are the holy grail of building in the new America. Santa Fean Ed Mazria, the founder of “Architecture 2030” has reported that buildings account for 48% of all energy consumed and all greenhouse gasses emitted worldwide. Architecture 2030 has called for Zero Energy buildings to be the norm by the year 2030 to prevent a global catastrophe. When the 2030 Challenge came out several years ago, many industry spokesmen complained that Zero Energy technology was just too expensive for working Americans and the goal could not be met.

Now Oshara Village and Artistic Homes are proving that Zero Energy Homes can be delivered at a price that many workings families can afford. Oshara Village a sustainable community just north of the Santa Fe Community College is complete with 100 % water reclamation, walkable design and now Zero Energy Homes. The Oshara Village Founders have invited the award winning Artistic Homes to bring their refined LEED Gold and Platinum designs to the Village. Artistic Homes is the # 1 Production Builder in the Nation for High Performance Homes. Their base home is LEED-H Gold certified providing energy savings of around 45% but this home can be upgraded to Platinum with a net zero energy bill for an average family of four on an annual basis. Utilizing innovative design, super insulation, energy efficient appliances and lighting as well as photovoltaic panels on the roof, these homes deliver a net zero energy bill, with a hansom three bedroom model for less than $300,000, a modest price by Santa Fe standards.

The first Zero Energy Home is complete and operating in Oshara Village generating far more electricity than it consumes. By combining Zero Energy Homes, 100% water reclamation and walkable mixed-use design, Oshara and Artistic Homes have created the community of the future today.

Tour Oshara Village and a Zero Energy Home from 11:00 to 5:00 everyday (closed Wednesday) and see for your self that a sustainable future with a superior quality of life is within reach of many Santa Feans.

For more information go to www.OsharaVillage.com or call
Alan Hoffman: 505 316 0449

The founders of Oshara Village realized soon after the crash of 2007 that the real estate market was never again to focus solely on finishes, fixtures and elitism but is turning its attention to livability, walkability, energy efficiency and a price that provides freedom from punishing mortgage payments. It is becoming clear, as Americans save more and spend less, that there may well be a difference between Standard of Living and Quality of Life. Where a less expensive more energy efficient home by definition constitutes a lower Standard of Living, it also offers a higher Quality of Life as pressure to support an unsupportable life style is reduced and more time with family and friends is available.

The mission of Oshara Village has always been to create a model of community where Americans of all incomes can live, work and play without the total dependence on the car and vast quantities of expensive energy. (Google: Obama Future Today) Oshara Village is already within walking distance of the Oshara Plaza, Santa Fe Community College with its education and exercise facilities and churches and schools. Bus service is available on Richards Avenue and Oshara’s Water Reclamation Facility is up and running, saving millions of gallons of potable water per year. And now, with the new series of energy certified homes, Oshara is providing a higher Quality of Life available to Santa Feans.

Oshara Village is Celebrating its next step in creating a national model of sustainability with the Grand Opening of two new lines of energy efficient homes that working families can afford. On the 11th of October Artistic Homes will be debuting two model homes including a Zero Energy Home, the state of the art in cost effective sustainable living. For 43 years Artistic Homes has pursued the goals shared by Oshara Village including innovation, conservation and quality within reach of most families. Artistic Homes is offering a 1540 square foot Zero Energy Home for less than $299,000. These beautiful homes prove that green does not have to cost more.

On the following Sunday, October 18th, Renaissance Builders will open its Build Green New Mexico Certified home featuring Pueblo architecture, fine finishes and stone work. This home is another example of less being more, that is less energy use being more money in your pocket and a higher quality of life.

Between October 11th and the 18th special events will be offered in Oshara Village setting the stage for the new America where imagination and innovation can reduce consumption while providing greater freedom and a higher Quality of Life. (see schedule below)

Schedule of Grand Opening Events
October 11 through October 18

* Sunday, October 11, 9-AM, Visit “Green Street” at the Oshara Flea Market. Green Vendors will be exhibiting sustainable products on the Oshara Plaza.

* Opening reception Sunday, October 11, 11-AM Artistic Homes at 27 & 29 Willow Back Road. Come visit these LEED Platinum and Gold Homes.

* Wednesday, October 14, 2-PM Tour of SFCC Biofuels Classroom and
Laboratory at 50 Oshara Blvd.

* Saturday, October 17 at 1-PM Oshara Town Architect - Jan Wisniewski
will present Sustainable Community Planning and Green Building at
52 Oshara Blvd.

* Saturday, October 17, 4-PM Realtor’s Presentation, Artistic Homes,
Tom Wade, Tom Fitzgerald and Alan Hoffman will give a LEED Platinum and Gold Training at 27 Willow Back Rd.

* Sunday, October 18, 9-AM, Visit “Green Street” at the Oshara Flea Market. Green Vendors will be exhibiting sustainable products on the Oshara Plaza.

* Sunday, October 18, 11-AM Renaissance Builders will have an Opening Reception of their new, Build Green NM Silver Certified Home at 19 Craftsman Road.

Santa Fe Community College Opens Algae Lab in Oshara Village

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) recently broke ground on the new Sustainable Technologies Center. This multimillion-dollar LEED certified training facility will teach the next generation of American workers how to fill the Green jobs we need today including Alternative Energy installation, Bio-Fuels production, home testing and weatherization and community building. Next to the SFCC lies the confluence of all of these technologies, Oshara Village. Using designs and technologies that tread more lightly upon the Earth, the Oshara model brings together a walkable design, super efficient structures, onsite energy generation and 100% water reclamation. Oshara is a testing ground for many of the technologies taught at the college.

A study carried out by New Village Institute (NVI) found that using sustainable technologies, many of which are taught at SFCC today, you can make a real difference in our environment. Jennifer Hanan of NVI said “a family choosing sustainability and living in a walkable community could reduce energy use 58.7% while saving money and improving their quality of life. This translates to a reduction of 26,000 pounds of CO2 per year.” (See study at newvillageinstitute.org) With the addition of Photovoltaic panels, some homes are net exporters of energy right now and it has become surprisingly affordable. The first true Zero Energy Home in Oshara is nearing completion with a grand opening scheduled for October 11th and 2 more energy rated homes are set to be complete around the same time. A number of builders, building inspectors and students from SFCC have already toured these homes under construction to learn about these revolutionary building techniques soon to be mandated in Santa Fe and around the country.

Oshara Village and the Santa Fe Community College have worked together on a number of projects including an energy efficient home in Oshara built by 13 at risk teens who are learning how to build the next generation of healthy and efficient homes while attending college. And now an Algae research laboratory and classroom has opened in a retail storefront on Oshara Boulevard. Until the Sustainable Technologies Center opens on the SFCC campus, students and staff will look for the most prolific strains of Algae for producing gas and diesel. Ethanol production and bio-diesel from plants will also be examined at their facility within the 1.3 million square foot Oshara Sustainable Enterprise Zone. Charles Bensinger, director of the SFCC Alternative Fuels Program said” I am looking forward to a good semester of research and experimentation. This class is filled to capacity with students training for Green jobs in the emerging New Mexico biofuels industry.”

Oshara Village, and Santa Fe Community College are creating a model of what a “Green Future” might look like and how we might retrain our workers to get there. (Google: “Obama Future Today”)

Contact: Alan Hoffman 505-316-0449

Email address: village@newvillage.com

One of the commentators believes that there is no future in real estate. Here are facts to refute his statement, to give a more realistic view. I submitted this as a comment to his response, and wanted to share it with you.

If you are interested in keeping up with all the comments, please visit the original post at the New Mexican. http://www.topix.net/forum/source/santa-fe-new-mexican/T4BMSBTHDH6TVSGHS

My Response

Some of the comments above question the future of the real estate market and consequently the future of the nation as a whole. This is short sighted in the face certain facts. Firstly the population in Santa Fe and the nation continues to grow and with curtailment of sales in the past 24 months, demand is growing on the sidelines. In the last two real estate recessions, all be it to a lesser degree, sales slowed as the prices fell. When it became clear that the demand remained and people needed homes, the fear that the train was leavening the station outweighed buyer’s fears of the market and they jumped on in significant numbers. Look at the math, at 2.7 people per household there are around 45,000 residences in the County. At 1.5% growth, that would be around 670 new homes needed each year and that does not include second homes. This fundamental need will gobble up this inventory in just a few years. Moody’s Economy.com recently reported their findings that over the next 10 years real estate in Santa Fe will appreciate on average 3.57% per year and Moody’s is typically conservative.

But this recession is very different from all that came before. Remember, this recession came during the oil shock that peaked in 2008. The first shoe to drop was the inflated real estate markets of, southern Florida, Phoenix Tuscan, Las Vegas Nevada, and southern California collapsed. It is telling to note that these are the most auto dependent places on Earth. The enormous losses sustained by the big time developers as the price of gas went up will not soon be forgotten because every one knows that gas prices will go up again. Conversely in the places with the most public transportation like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, you see the lowest rates of foreclosures. Now I agree these are extremes and not everyone wants to live in New York City (not me) but historic Santa Fe is a great example of a small-scale walkable village. Why not emulate this model. The building code used to build Santa Fe was the Law of the Indies from the Royal Court of Spain; we used this exact code to create Oshara. It is easy to be critical but is not so easy to find a group of people willing to do the right thing even if it is a little ahead of its time. And now is the time for mixed-use walkable communities. Add to this LEED certified homes and 100% water reclamation (which is up and running) and you have a viable model for the future. (Google Obama’s Future Today)

What do you have to offer?

Two new builders have joined Oshara Village and are setting the highest standard for Green Homes in the nation. They prove that energy efficient homes do not have to cost more than Code Built houses and can offer aesthetic excellence at the same time.

Dennis Niedermier of Renaissance Builders has built homes in Oshara Village and Aldea de Santa Fe, a previous project. These designs can be customized and feature stone counter tops, clad wood windows and private walled yards. His first home will be complete in September and can be viewed right now in progress. Certified, Build Green New Mexico Gold, the home will save about 50 % on utility bills and comes standard with Solar Domestic hot water and energy efficient lighting and appliances. These Pueblo style homes come standard with elegant features and beautiful outdoor space and a three bedroom, two bath home starts in the mid $200s

Artistic Homes, one of the largest Green builder in America has been building Green Homes for 10 years and builds in New Mexico and southern Colorado. The owners, Jerry and Tom Wade are the third generation to build ever-improving energy efficient and healthy homes. The homes under construction in Oshara are classic craftsman designs and feature energy efficiency and HEPA filtration standard which reduces the effect of allergies. Artistic homes are all certified as LEED Gold and offer a Platinum upgrade meaning a utility bill around zero. Their model homes will be open for viewing in September. The pricing of Artistic homes competes with merchant builders like Centex or Longford but only Artistic homes come standard with top of the line sustainability, water conservation and health features with prices starting in the mid $200s.

One resource needed to fuel this change in direction is low priced oil. To this end we must reduce our use of fuel faster than the depletion curve reduces the supply, beginning by immediately harvesting the low hanging fruit of energy innovation. A small example might be improving building efficiency. Insulating roofs, calking windows, and adding efficient lighting and computerized thermostats can provide important work for the army of unemployed construction workers. Cutting home energy use from 20% to 40% will save the homeowner money and free up a lot of natural gas to kick-start the conversion of our truck fleet to compressed natural gas. In the summer the electric savings from reduced air-conditioning requirements can be diverted to plug in hybrid cars further reducing our use of oil. The billions that would remain in our economy as oil imports fall will more than pay for a cost-effective retrofit incentive program.

The ability to successfully make this transition is in question. James Howard Kunstler, author of “The Long Emergency”, has said that, in his opinion, “no amount of solar, wind, or nuclear power can replace the cheap oil we have become accustomed to” and that is partially true. If we define ourselves by our standard of living instead our quality of life and hope to hang on to our 6,000-pound SUVs, poorly insulated buildings and industries that are throwbacks to the 1920s, he is absolutely right. But Americans have already shown their ability to change and work towards that higher quality of life for this generation and the next. Something as simple as a compact florescent light bulb can save 80% of lighting costs with no loss of quality of life. By applying this model of innovation to all aspects of American life, we may be on the verge of creating a new generation of vehicles, appliances and manufacturing systems that will reduce energy use between 40% and 60% in the mid term. What I hope Jim has missed is the transformative power of the profit potential of applying innovation, conservation and decentralization in the face of the inevitable return to rising energy costs.

Now a number of people have asked where are we going to get the money to retool our nation? This moment in time also provides us the unusual opportunity to print it. It is well understood that printing money will cause inflation, but right now we have deflation. This makes it possible, for a short period of time, to print money so we may have more dollars to retool our nation creating demand for commodities and labor, slowing or reversing deflation. But once inflation returns, we must stop building the money supply and allow the private sector to sustain the new direction that America appears to have chosen.

None of the programs envisioned above or talked about by the Obama team could ever have been considered until the old economy was dead in the water. Whether you are talking about the redirection of the auto industry, public transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, energy production or new urban design, we are suddenly free to change direction dependent only on the vision and creativity of our leaders in government, academia, small business and industry.

By Alan Hoffman
A Village Founder of Aldea de Santa Fe and Oshara Village, Santa Fe NM
505 316 0449
village@newvillage.com