Green living options are growing again on the South Side. Riverside Mews, which includes the city’s
first net-zero home, is expanding with phase II of its townhome development.
This latest phase will bring 18 new homes to the former-brownfield redevelopment site, located south of East Carson Street between 18th and 19th Streets. Known for blending quality urban design with energy efficiency, developer Ernie Sota says homes at
Riverside Mews actually perform 40% better than Energy Star requirements.
Phase I of Riverside Mews opened in 2007, and was one of the first energy-efficient residential developments in Pittsburgh. It debuted with 14 units, some of which featured “sky room” rooftop decks, and were designed by the team of Perkins Eastman and Strada.
Sota says a few of the original homes have resold with appreciable gains in value, which speaks to the quality of the residences. He cites earlier neighborhood developments, such as Fox Way Commons, New Birmingham, and South Shore Place, as important efforts to which Riverside Mews has built upon.
“We’ve taken the for sale housing on the South Side to the next level…taken what those products offered to another level of quality and size and space,” he says.
Sota says each home is customized for the buyer. Initially, only the building’s shell is constructed, and once sold, homeowners choose from a floor-plan layout that meets their needs.
Fourteen homes are complete in phase II, and eight have been sold. The third and final phase, to be built nearest the river, will bring 16 additional homes to the site, with an anticipated completion date of early 2013.
Writer: Andrew Moore
Source: Ernie Sota