HomeMy WebLinkAboutWATERFIELD FOURTH FILING - MAJOR AMENDMENT / PDP - PDP180009 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - PROJECT NARRATIVEThrive’s Approach to Homebuilding
Thrive Home Builders is a nationally recognized, award-winning homebuilder based in Denver and
has been a leader in the design and construction of energy efficient homes since the early 1990s.
Our company is founded on three core principles: energy efficiency, health, and a commitment to
our local community.
Efficient: Our decades of commitment to sustainability through energy efficient home
construction is industry leading. It has culminated in the Department of Energy’s Grand
Award for Innovation in Production Homebuilding for five years running.
Healthy: At Thrive, we believe that home is where your health is. Thrive homes are built
with active radon mitigation systems to help minimize radon exposure, utilize advanced
moisture management practices to keep water outside of your home to mitigate the risk of
mold (a significant asthma trigger), and every Thrive home qualifies for the EPA’s Indoor
airPLUS program to ensure that you can breathe easy knowing that we have you covered.
Local: For more than 20 years, we’ve built homes in metro-Denver that give you the best,
healthiest, and most efficient choices available. Our promise is that Thrive will continue to
evolve, using new technology and sustainable, locally-sourced products. At Thrive Home
Builders, striving for innovation, quality, and creative solutions is part of who we are, how
we work, and what we build.
Recent Awards and Recognition
2018 marks our 26th year of building sustainable, energy-efficient homes. Our first brand was
Greentree Homes, which was geared toward raising the bar on green building construction more
than twenty years ago. We have since sharpened our focus and skill as standards and design
approaches have evolved over the past two decades. Our work has been recognized and awarded
by a number of organizations over the years. Below are just a few of the most recent awards and
recognition we have received.
2017 Builder of the Year (Professional Builder Magazine: 2017)
Grand Winner: Housing Innovation Award - Production Builder (US Dept. of Energy:
2017(x2), 2016, 2015, 2014, & 2013)
Builder of the Year (Green Home Builder Magazine: 2016)
Builder of the Year (Home Builder Association of Metro Denver: 2016)
Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award - Single Family Home (US Dept. of
Energy: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, & 2013)
Zero Energy Ready Home Housing Innovation Award - Multi-Family Home (US Dept. of
Energy: 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, & 2013)
National “Best in Green” Single Family Production Home the Year (National Association of
Homebuilders: 2016 & 2015)
Energy Star Market Leader Award (US Environmental Protection Agency: 2016, 2015, 2014,
& 2013)
Indoor airPLUS Leader Award (US Environmental Protection Agency: 2016)
Best Green Home Design (National Association of Homebuilders: 2015)
National Best Green/Sustainable Home Design (NAHB National Sales and Marketing
Council: January 2015)
MAME Award, Green Home of the Year (Denver HBA: 2014, 2013, & 2012)
Green Home of the Year (Green Home Builder Magazine: 2012)
Marketing
We have spent the last 20+ years addressing the challenge of properly presenting green building in
a way that resonates with our customers. Here’s what we’ve learned:
KEEP IT SIMPLE. Don’t overwhelm the customers with too much information on complex
building techniques, products and features.
AVOID THE ABSTRACT B
ENEFITS. The customer is capable of assessing the environmental “soft”
benefit of buying a Thrive Home.
RELATE OUR F
EATURES TO MONETARY BENEFIT. The extra monthly payment for our Zero Energy
Option is completely offsett by the monthly energy savings, beginning in month number
one of ownership.
MAKE IT V
ISUAL AND EXPERIENTIAL. Our Building Science Center is an effective mockup of the
building techniques and features we use to compel buyers to select our homes.
MAKE IT INTERACTIVE.
Energy monitoring via computer or smartphone is one of the most
powerful ways to reinforce the value of our energy efficient home
RELATE THE BENEFITS TO O
THER CHOICES. HERS scores are used to calibrate the value of energy
efficiency benefits and cost savings compared to other new homes or resale homes.
Model Homes
Thrive’s approach to model homes is three-fold: fully furnished model homes, a digital
marketplace, and a building science center.
FULLY FURNISHED M
ODEL HOMES: Thrive intends to furnish a model home for each of the
product series that we plan to build in a new project. Photos of one of our past model
homes which are representative of our model building approach are available upon
request.
DIGITAL MARKETPLACE:
In addition to furnished models, Thrive will also create a digital
marketplace online that will offer elevation renderings, floor plans, and included features
of each product line.
BUILDING SCIENCE C
ENTER: The building science center, housed in the model complex, helps
explain the unique way that Thrive builds homes. It highlights the construction techniques
and innovative products that we use to build our homes.
Recent Projects
EXPERIENCE IN SIMILAR MARKETS
2017 will mark our 25th year of building sustainable, energy-efficient homes. Our first brand was
Greentree Homes, which was geared toward raising the bar on green building construction more
than twenty years ago. We have since sharpened our focus and skill as standards and design
approaches have evolved over the past two decades.
TOWNHOMES AT RIDGEGATE
, (2013 –
PRESENT)
LONE TREE,
CO
Thrive Home Builders is currently building 57 townhomes (sold out of our first phase) with 29
more in Phase II of the project (86 total). These townhomes will be a mix of “Courtyard Row
House” constructed in an attached rowhome configuration as well as a “Stacked Townhouse”,
with unit types ranging in size from approximately 1,200 – 1,850 square feet.
The neighborhood is designed to be walkable, with alley loaded homes, strong pedestrian
connections, and proximity to amenities (open space and retail). The plan was developed
considering the best solar orientation and community access to nearby parks and open space.
Thrive Home Builders offers solar panels as a renewable energy source. The landscape plan
includes native plants to limit the irrigation requirements. These townhomes will be among the
first in Colorado to be built to the U.S. Department of Energy “Zero Energy Ready” specifications.
Additionally, the Stacked Townhomes in this project won the Innovation Award from the US
Department of Energy for 2016.
WILLOW PARK ROWS AT
STAPLETON (2015 –
PRESENT)
DENVER, CO
Thrive Home Builders has 28 townhomes (aka: rowhomes) under construction and another 85
planned. These 2 and 3 bedroom townhomes range in size from approximately 1,200 – 1,700
square feet. All buildings currently exceed ENERGYSTAR 3.0 requirements.
PERRIN’S ROW
ROWHOMES (2013 –
2016)
WHEAT RIDGE,
CO
The Perrin’s Row project is an infill project with 26 townhomes on
approximately 1.35 acres. The project provides a mix of 2-story and 3-story townhomes ranging in
size from approximately 1,200 – 1,700 square feet, with 2 and 3 bedrooms and attached garages.
Construction on this project began in May of 2014 and sold out in less than 7 months.
This project won the Innovation Award from the US Department of Energy in August of 2015. The
homes also meet the criteria for the Department of Energy “Zero Energy Ready Home” program
which incorporates indoor air quality, water conservation and energy efficiency (the first in
Colorado to be built to these specifications). Typical HERS scores for Perrin’s Row range from 20-
25, an outstanding achievement for townhome construction.
CENTRAL PARK ROWS AT
STAPLETON (2008 –
2013)
DENVER, CO
Nearly 120 townhome units were built in this community over an extended period of time and the
sustainability features were continually updated throughout that time period. The floor plans were
frequently refined and improved as the sustainable elements evolved. The initial units exceeded
the Energy Star standard and the final units ended up with HERS index scores in the low 50s. The
units range in size from 1,100 – 1,600 square feet ranked among the top sellers in the region.
29TH DRIVE ROWHOMES AT
STAPLETON (2006 –
2009)
DENVER, CO
This 68-unit townhome community was built as a 100% income qualified project meeting
Stapleton’s affordability goals and requirements. Floor plans included one to three bedroom
units, ranging in size from just under 900 square feet to over 1,400 square feet. Although this
community met the income restricted requirements, sustainability and energy efficiency standards
were not compromised.
COAL CREEK VILLAGE
TOWNHOMES (2004 –
2008)
LAFAYETTE, CO
Over 100 townhome and duplex homes, ranging in size from just over
1,000 – 1,500 square feet.
Company Background
THRIVE HOME BUILDERS
was originally founded as Greentree Homes by Gene Myers in 1992. After
successfully building homes in several Denver area communities, including Forest Park,
Castlewood Ranch, and Tallyn’s Reach, the company shifted its focus to New Urbanist
development. New Town Builders was formed in 2001 with the development of the nationally
acclaimed, award-winning Belle Creek. In 2015 we re-branded to become Thrive Home Builders in
order to better reflect the company’s constant innovation and sharpened focus on being healthy,
efficient, and local.
Thrive has built homes in several smart growth communities throughout the Denver area,
including Bradburn Village in Westminster, Coal Creek Village in Lafayette, as well as continuing as
one of the original builders in Stapleton. Thrive’s commitment to sustainability and energy
efficiency has led to continued success and market differentiation, culminating in numerous
awards, including the Department of Energy’s award for innovation for the past five years.
Constant innovation toward sustainability and energy efficiency is the culture at Thrive. Thrive
Home Builders became the first builder in Colorado to include solar standard on our single-family
homes. A year later, solar was included on townhomes. In 2011, Thrive became the first
production builder in Colorado to build with reclaimed Colorado beetle-kill lumber and was the
first production builder in the U.S. to offer a Zero Energy option, and then, an entire community of
Zero Energy homes.
Led by GENE MYERS,
CEO, the management team of Thrive Home Builders brings decades of
experience in home building and real estate development in the Denver market. Gene’s career
started as a civil engineer in the Peace Corps in the early 1970’s until founding Greentree Homes in
1992. Known as an advocate for affordable housing and smart growth, Gene frequently speaks
locally and nationally on these topics. He has served on the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Panel for
Housing, the City of Denver Housing Plan Update Task Force, and the Home Builder’s Association
of Metro Denver.
JEFF SEIBOLD,
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
, has been with the organization since 2004. Prior to joining
Thrive, Mr. Seibold served in the capacity of Controller for Peak Properties & Development Corp., a
Boulder single-family and multi-family home developer. Prior to that, he was Controller of two
sports entertainment companies.
WILLIAM RECTANUS,
VICE PRESIDENT OF HOME
BUILDING OPERATIONS, has a rich experience in building
science and energy efficiency. He began his career as an Assistant Superintendent working his way
to Superintendent, Project Manager, Area Construction Manager and Manager of Building
Systems. Bill was responsible for the successful transformation of the company to a “High
Performance Solar Green Builder” and his work directly resulted in recent awards and national
recognition.
KEVIN PUCCIO,
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNITY
DEVELOPMENT, has lead the Community Development
Department for Thrive Home Builders since October 2005. He is responsible for all land
acquisition, entitlements, financial feasibility, product development and infrastructure
development for Thrive Home Builders. During his career, he has served in various lead capacities
for public and private residential and commercial projects.
STEPHEN MYERS,
VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND
MARKETING, joined the Thrive Home Builders team in July
2014. He began his career in media relations and marketing & communications, then obtained a
Master’s in Finance at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver in 2010.
Immediately prior to joining the Thrive team, he worked in mergers & acquisitions for a Fortune
200 company.
Thrive Home Builders is a local, “home grown” green builder committed to smart growth, green
building and energy efficiency. As an award-winning organization, we remain true to our four core
principles: mixed use, mixed income, age diversity, and environmental responsibility.