As most Lake Highlanders know, what used to be the eyesore called Northwest Terrace Apartments, on Northwest Highway between Ferndale and Plano Roads, is now becoming a lovely Independent Senior Living Community called Churchill Estates.

When I heard rumors that this development had been built using environmentally friendly practices, I just had to get all the details!

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Brad Forslund, President of Churchill Residential, who owns Churchill Estates and developed the facility.

He confirmed those green rumors I was hearing. In fact, he let me know that they are the first senior living community to be "Green Built North Texas" certified.

"This certification holds developments to certain environmental standards and is similar to LEED certification but is defined for woodstick construction," says Forslund.

"To begin with, we moved several mature Live Oak and Cedar Elm trees to preserve them," he continues. "We wanted to be able to replant them on-site instead of just hacking them down for ease of construction."

Some of the other green steps included reduction of construction waste, the installation of Energy Star appliances, and using sealed duct systems and Low VOC paints.

The development utilized ceramic tile surfaces instead of plastic laminates, which decreased formaldehyde emissions, and installed Energy Star windows in all its units.

Building plans called for a central gas water boiler, which is more energy efficient than individual units in each apartment, the use of trash compactors instead of dumpsters, and motion-detecting LED can lighting in common areas.

Churchill Residential even selected native perennials for use in outdoor landscaping and currently follows efficient management irrigation for water conservation.

In talking with Mr. Forslund, I also discovered that the forward-thinking practices adopted by Churchill Estates didn't stop at environmentally sound construction.

This community will also house a Wellness Resource Library and community game room that will include brain fitness games and a beautiful garden, as well as many other amenities for its residents.

Churchill Estates certainly seems like a spectacular option for those who want to make Lake Highlands their home beyond retirement. Our community certainly hopes other developers working in Lake Highlands will follow the lead of Churchill Residential in keeping their construction more environmentally sound.

For more information on the Churchill Estates development, you can visit their website at http://www.churchillestateslh.com.