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A New Definition for Destination
| Judy Sharpton
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>> Published Date: 6/25/2012
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“Destination garden center” has been a familiar term in our industry for many years. I have differentiated between drive-by and destination garden centers in my presentations and writing since I started in this industry in 1994. Over the past few years, I have worried that the destination garden center, located in a rural area and requiring customers to drive more than 5 miles, is in trouble: The cost of gas mixed with increasing consumer time limits for shopping have put a squeeze on the traditional “drive in the country” shopping experience. Some stores, located close to urban markets, have capitalized on agri-entertainment. Some stores have focused on groups of communities that circle the store as a target market. In all cases, successful destination garden centers have remained viable by expanding the reasons for a customer (or a family) to visit the store more often and shop longer.
Some stores, however, have redefined the meaning of destination by creating unique shopping experiences in close proximity to a concentrated and desirable demographic. On a snowy morning last January, I met Flinda Terteling at the Idaho Nursery Association meeting in Boise, Idaho. She had read in my bio that I was a LEED Green Associate and told me about her LEED Certified garden center right there in the heart of Boise. I immediately arranged a visit.
What a treat! I picked my way with the certainty of a Savannah girl across the snowy parking lot and opened the door to an oasis. The high windows admitted grey ambient light to reveal tropical plants and all manner of garden-related merchandise. As I moved though the store toward a warming cup of coffee in the adjacent bistro, I had trouble remembering I had come to see a LEED Certified structure as the warmth from the invisible geothermal springs below the property enveloped me.
And, that’s just the point. The store is a shopping pleasure even before you discover the nuances of sustainable construction. On that snowy morning, I wasn’t alone. Several other women and a mother with a young daughter were enjoying my oasis with me.
Reasons Why
This project at the 36th Street Greenhouse had begun in the 1990s when Flinda’s family purchased land in downtown Boise that had been a growing operation since the early 1900s. That’s when the geothermal wells common to this part of the world were first developed. With the state of Idaho going through a water adjudication process, Flinda and her family had to prove beneficial use of the valuable geothermal water rights or lose those rights. In the short run, the family decided to continue the current growing operation on the 6.5-acre site while they developed a plan for the property.
How did the family decide to enter into what is a costly and difficult process to achieve LEED certification? In language as simple as that used by most people who believe in sustainable practices, Flinda said, “We wanted to do what is right for the resource.”
So began the process of developing the site as a mixed-use urban development to include residential and commercial options with the garden center as the year-round retail centerpiece. With its grand unveiling in May 2007, the 36th Street Garden Center and Bistro would be a destination in the heart of Boise.
The garden center and bistro complex
was designed to attract customers with
the allure of unique shopping experiences.
Taking the LEED
The design of the building is based on the Linnean House at the Missouri Botanical Garden, the oldest continuously operated, publicly owned greenhouse west of the Mississippi. Sustainable building began with the geothermal resource—free heat for the entire structure that would maximize and preserve flexible use of the resource. Achieving LEED certification is a process of earning points in specific areas of construction defined by the U.S. Green Building Council. The more points earned, the higher the level of certification, from basic to platinum. The 36th Street Greenhouse is certified LEED Silver.
To achieve LEED Silver, 36th Street Greenhouse started with the maximum LEED points in the Energy and Atmosphere category, which requires that a building reduce demand for energy with efficiency and conservation. The geothermal springs below the structure meant 36th Street would require minimum outside energy: minimum fossil fuels. Power is purchased only for high summer air conditioning after the building’s natural ventilation has done all it can. The conservation element meant the structure had to exceed conventional energy performance by at least 10%, and that had to be verified by an outside source.
In addition to Energy and Atmosphere credits, 36th Street also earned big LEED points for being a sustainable site and for connectivity. The LEED program rewards use of sites that do not contribute to sprawl and that do not require one-car/one-driver access. 36th Street is located in the heart of an already developed urban area on an existing city bus line. In addition, Flinda and her team reused structures from the old growing operation, used locally sourced and low-emitting building materials, installed bike racks and an employee shower and changing room, designated parking for compact and hybrid vehicles, and created a store-wide recycling program for the garden center and the bistro. An on-site well provides water for landscaping that meets LEED standards with drought-tolerant plants that also work well for customers. Finally, Flinda and her team earned education credits for providing print materials at the store to help visitors understand just what the building is doing while they shop in an oasis of comfort.
The Costs Involved
Here’s where LEED gets expensive: 36th Street was designed by a LEED accredited architect and commissioned by LEED trained engineers. Spending the extra money to put a LEED-trained team on the project is often the best investment. With the mountains of documentation required, an experienced team can be a project’s best money (and headache) saver.
What does the LEED process cost? Fees to the U.S. Green Building Council range from $ 2,500-$25,000 plus special issue fees. LEED consultation can range from $20,000-$100,000. Building commissioning averages 0.75%-1% of the construction cost. Energy modeling for a structure averages $10,000-$15,000.
So why do it? For Flinda and her family, it was just what was right. Beyond that, LEED certification creates a unique marketing and public relations position in a community. The LEED plaque certainly provides another reason for the store to become a destination, not just for consultants visiting from Savannah, but for the entire surrounding consumer base.
Sustainability for Your Store
Your store benefits from the LEED process even if you don’t choose to build a new store and seek LEED certification. Start with an understanding of sustainability. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Green building is a subset of sustainability. Green building encompasses the following practices: Sustainable sites that do not increase sprawl or increase pollution of surrounding natural resources; safeguarding water resources and increasing water efficiency; energy efficiency and renewable energy; conservation of materials and resources; and indoor environmental quality.
Some obvious sustainable practices include rain harvesting and all forms of water conservation, buying local products, providing access that does not require an individual car, recycling and reuse practices, controlled outdoor lighting, noise reduction and all forms of energy efficiency including shade and breeze. Designating compact car parking and carpool parking provides the opportunity to encourage customers to shop in pairs or groups—always good for increasing sales.
But to make any of these practices valuable to your store as a destination, you must communicate with your customers. Fortunately, we have a very energy efficient tool in electronic communication. You don’t have to use any paper or fossil fuel to send an email to your customers. If you are doing anything in your store that meets the needs of the present without compromising future needs, then tell your customers about that practice in every communication. Sustainability practices in your store can help establish you as a destination, no matter where you are located and whether or not you have a LEED plaque on the wall. GP
Judy Sharpton, LEED Green Associate and member of ARCSA, is a garden center design and renovation specialist with 35 years experience in advertising and promotion, and is the owner of Growing Places Marketing.
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