Carty Heights – Geothermal Heating and Cooling
Address: 412 Dunlap St. N., Saint Paul, MN 55104
Overview:
Carty Heights is the newest program of Episcopal Homes of Minnesota, which has been providing housing and services to older adults in the Midway area of Saint Paul since 1894. Carty Heights is a 50-unit community of affordable housing for residents age 62 and older living on limited incomes. Carty Heights provides critically needed housing in the urban neighborhood on the southwest corner of Lexington Parkway North and University Avenue West. Generous public and private support supplemented basic U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202 financing. The project preserves and reflects the strong architectural traditions of the surrounding residential community while incoporating state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling for energy efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and long-term energy savings. Carty Heights is the nation’s first and only HUD Section 202 project with geothermal heating and cooling.
Carty Heights opened in November 2007 with all 50 units leases and a ten-year wating list, indicating that it is a positive response to a critical housing need in the community. Several specific goals drove the design process: create affordable, desireable housing for independent seniors in their own neighborhood; respond to physical and social needs and preferences of seniors representing diverse cultural groups; complement and advance neighborhood revitalization efforts following Smart Growth principles; and ensure project sustainability.
