Generation Y Hates Loudoun County

At last week's National Association of Home Builders conference, panelists presented research showing the Millenials despise McMansions:

A key finding: They want to walk everywhere. Surveys show that 13% carpool to work, while 7% walk, said Melina Duggal, a principal with Orlando-based real estate adviser RCLCO. A whopping 88% want to be in an urban setting, but since cities themselves can be so expensive, places with shopping, dining and transit such as Bethesda and Arlington in the Washington suburbs will do just fine.

“One-third are willing to pay for the ability to walk,” Ms. Duggal said. “They don’t want to be in a cookie-cutter type of development. …The suburbs will need to evolve to be attractive to Gen Y.”

Outdoor space is important—but please, just a place to put the grill and have some friends over. Lawn-mowing not desired.

Makes you wonder. Who's going to live in all those McMansions when the baby boomers no longer need or want them? Will those areas redevelop sustainably, or will they just slowly revert to forest, The World Without Us-style?

New Loudoun County Facility to be a Green Hospital?

From the Loudoun Times:

The Broadlands Regional Medical Center, if approved by the county and built, will seek LEED Certification for Health Care.

The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – recognizes environmentally friendly design, construction and operation.

HCA Virginia, the project's parent company, said if certified, the Broadlands hospital will be the first in its nationwide chain of 166 hospitals to be so recognized.

LEED awards points for site development, water savings, energy efficiency, construction materials and indoor environmental quality. The Broadlands hospital has pledged to treat storm-water runoff to reduce phosphorous and the amount of light that escapes from the site, to use water-saving bath fixtures, to hire an energy management consultant, and to seek National Wildlife Federation designation as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat.