'Green' apartments being built in Newport News will include electric car charging stations

NEWPORT NEWS From Jefferson Avenue, it looks just like any other new apartment complex under construction.

Five tall buildings in various stages of construction dominate the landscape, as wood frames peek out behind scaffolding. Workers are busy installing cabinets, insulation, countertops and flooring for the luxury apartments, which will rent from about $1,100 per month to $1,800 per month for a large three-bedroom apartment.

But the new Radius Urban Apartments at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Bland Boulevard is unlike most new apartments, as the developers are working to make them "super green."

"We just kept asking and asking, and they never said, 'no,'" said Carr, referring to Norfolk developer Sifen Inc.. "We're designing apartments that would meet the market five to 10 years from now. We wanted as many green features as possible."

One of the "green" highlights is putting in the parking lot five General Electric charging stations for electric cars, which may be the first such stations for apartments in Hampton Roads.

There will be one charging station per building, and each station will have two outlets.

"When we pitched the charging stations, we said, 'I double dog dare you to put in the charging stations for the electric cars. They (developers) said, 'OK, we'll spend the money and do it','" said Carr with a smile.

Each station cost about $10,000.

Carr said the infrastructure is also in place to install more charging stations should electric vehicles become more prevalent.

Currently, all-electric or electric hybrid cars from major auto manufacturers include the Chevy Volt, one of the Toyota Prius models, the Nissan Leaf and some Smart car models.

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'Green' apartments being built in Newport News will include electric car charging stations