JERSEY CITY-Hoboken Brownstone Co. principals George Vallone and Daniel Gans plan to transform the seven-acre brownfield site into a sustainable mixed-use community of more than 400 homes and 7,500 square feet of retail space.

The project, located on the site of the former Van Leer Chocolate Factory at 110 Hoboken Ave. here, will utilize energy-efficient technologies in the design. These include mass wall construction, which creates an insulated and low air infiltration building enclosure capable of thermal storage, a balanced ventilation system with energy recovery capabilities and alternative energy sources such as solar hot water and a geothermal test well. When all three elements are integrated, they can produce buildings capable of 50% to 90% energy savings when compared to standard buildings, according to the developer.

Thanks to its focus on green design, the project--dubbed Van Leer Place--will be developed with a $3.6-million grant from PSE&G's Energy Efficiency Economic Stimulus program. “Over the past several decades, residential and commercial buildings have emerged as the largest consumer of energy and carbon emissions, using more energy and emitting more carbon dioxide than either industry or transportation,” Gans points out. “This is particularly evident in dense urban areas such as Jersey City. As a result, government on the federal, state and local levels has made a conscious effort to encourage and promote programs and development practices that lower energy consumption in mixed-use buildings in city settings." That, he says, is the goal for Van Leer Place.