Rancho Cucamonga, CA – Legacy Square, a National CORE LEED for Homes Platinum-certified community, has been selected from a pool of international contenders as a 2024 Outstanding Affordable Housing Project by the U.S. Green Building Council.
This prestigious selection adds to the series of honors for the all-electric Legacy Square, a pioneering affordable housing development in Santa Ana, California, which blends beautiful aesthetics with forward-thinking sustainability concepts and community-focused transit programs.
“This is a momentous recognition for Legacy Square and the teams at National CORE who envisioned, built and operate Legacy Square,” said Michael Ruane, National CORE’s president. “They have created an extraordinary community that serves both its residents and our planet.”
“What’s even more remarkable is that Legacy Square isn’t unique – it’s a model National CORE follows as we develop new affordable housing communities across the United States,” Ruane said. “Sustainable design isn’t a burden – it’s an essential component in how we effectively pursue our mission.”
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the leading authority on green building and the global developer of the LEED green building program, celebrating residential projects that benefit communities through sustainable, healthy and resilient design. Winners are chosen by a panel of independent judges.
Legacy Square is one of three projects to earn the 2024 award. The others include Las Flores in Santa Monica, California, and Rockland Homes for Heroes in New York.
Legacy Square features 93 spacious apartments around a central plaza, including 33 that serve previously unhoused individuals and families. A rooftop solar panel system generates 241,600 KWh of clean energy, 36% of Legacy Square’s total need. Cool roofing materials and tight building envelopes reduce energy demands, while green open space areas with drought-tolerant landscaping improve stormwater management. A heat pump water system and an array of water controls minimize water waste.
A transit-oriented development, the community is next to an Orange County Streetcar station and close to a Metrolink station. National CORE invested a $10 million state grant into regional rail line upgrades, bike paths, safer routes to school, a pocket park and street beautification. Additionally, National CORE collaborates with a nonprofit to provide bike repairs for residents and offers all residents three years of free bus passes.
Legacy Square represents one of National CORE’s strongest community collaborations and innovative financing approaches. National CORE built the development on underutilized land owned by the Santa Ana United Methodist Church, leasing the land to significantly reduce upfront costs. The church’s support and an intensive community outreach program helped shape the development to better serve local residents and speed approvals.
The development has previously been recognized with the Orange County Project of the Year award, a Pacific Coast Builders Council Gold Nugget Award of Merit and a Southern California Association of Governments Sustainability Award.
“LEED Homes are energy-efficient and resilient, lowering energy costs and increasing their value while having a positive impact on human and environmental health,” said Peter Templeton, president and CEO, USGBC. “I commend this year’s awardees for their commitment to building healthy, sustainable, resilient and affordable homes to meet the needs of their communities. Their example is critical to decarbonizing the residential real estate sector and bringing the benefits of green buildings to homeowners and renters everywhere.”
National CORE’s Sustainability team is led by Tim Kohut, a leading voice in the sustainable construction and design industry. Kohut, a lecturer at the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental Design, is an architect with multiple certifications in energy analysis who helped pioneer the use of solar power in multi-family housing.
“We are honored be recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council for our Legacy Square development,” Kohut said. “The development represents one of our strongest achievements to date and has already become a baseline as we pursue even more innovative design options for future developments.”
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About National CORE
National CORE is one of the largest nonprofit developers in the nation, with a 30-year history of being an innovator in the field. In 2021, National CORE became one of only two affordable housing developers to earn an A+ credit rating from Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings. In 2022, National CORE issued $100 million in Series 2022 Social Bonds to accelerate the development of critically needed affordable housing. Serving more than 25,000 residents, National CORE strives to be a launching pad, not a landing pad, for families struggling financially. In 1998, National CORE created the Hope through Housing Foundation, a philanthropic nonprofit whose mission is to end the cycle of generational poverty through resident services that promote educational attainment, economic mobility and overall well-being.
About the U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. USGBC works toward its mission of market transformation through its LEED green building program, robust educational offerings, an international network of local community leaders, the annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, the Center for Green Schools and advocacy in support of public policy that encourages and enables green buildings and communities. For more information, visit usgbc.org and connect on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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