Circle at Concord Mills Wins Recognition from NAHB

Concord, N.C.–The National Association of Homebuilders has named Circle at Concord Mills, a development by Crescent Resources Multifamily Development Group, as the luxury multifamily project of the year at the National Green Building Conference.

“The location was a major factor in our decision to develop Circle at Concord Mills,” says Brian Natwick, senior development manager for Crescent Resources Multifamily Development Group. “We felt that the area had the necessary infrastructure in place, in terms of retail and convenience, yet there wasn’t an adequate amount of luxury multifamily housing nearby. It was the best of both worlds—the site offered the element of seclusion, which is attractive for residential housing, as well as the convenience of being located within a regional shopping hub.”

The apartment community’s clubhouse was the first LEED certified structure in Cabarrus County, N.C. Surrounded by 30 acres of preserved woods and wetlands, Circle at Concord Mills is also the first multifamily community in the country to be certified by Audubon International as an Audubon Signature Sanctuary.

“We partnered with Audubon International for some of our previous single-family, master-planned communities, and we had a good relationship with the organization,” Natwick says. “However, there was no multifamily Audubon Signature Sanctuary Program in place. So, we worked with them to create a new program that would debut at Circle at Concord Mills. We felt the site was a perfect fit to launch the Audubon program in the multifamily industry, and it presented an opportunity for us to preserve a wildlife habitat and use environmentally sound practices during site development.”

Circle at Concord Mills features Energy Star appliances, built-in recycling bins, compact fluorescent light fixtures, low-energy windows and paints with low volatile organic compounds. The clubhouse features native landscaping, water-efficient plumbing and recycled building materials.

Adding green elements added to the upfront cost of building Circle at Concord Mills, but the company felt it would recoup those costs due to energy savings.

“We also felt that the green elements would give us an edge as we began leasing up the project because people view them as an amenity,” Natwick says.

The architect of the 312-unit project was The Preston Partnership, LLC, the civil engineer was Kimley Horn, and Crosland was the general contractor. The property opened in April, 2009, and is scheduled to reach 94 percent occupancy by the end of the month.