Frequently Asked Questions

• How long will it take to complete your Green City plan?

  We’ve been working on the plan for the better part of a year and have already begun some initiatives. New residential and business construction will be complete by 2020. We anticipate that the retrofitting of existing homes and businesses will be completed during this same period.

• How much will it cost?

  It won’t “cost.” It will save money. The total amount that will be saved hasn’t yet been estimated, but, for example, we will spend an average of $3000 more to build single family homes, but those homes will save $6800 per year in energy, transportation and water costs.

• Why did you choose St. Charles for your Green City initiative?

  St. Charles is already a fully entitled Planned Unit Development community as designated by Charles County. We have the support of the County and State governments. St. Charles was designated as a HUD New City under the 1968 Federal Housing Act, and obtained its Planned Unit Development, or PUD, status when it finalized its zoning agreement, called Docket 90, with the Charles County Government in 1972. It actually is already a very environmentally advanced community with good transportation, hiking trails, and aggressive recycling. Although in amounts to only 2 percent of the land mass in Charles County, it houses 25 percent of the population. Being only 22 miles from the White House, it will be a national and international model.

• Why did ACPT launch this initiative?

  Well, first it’s the right thing to do. But beyond that, our research shows that by adopting aggressive Green technologies and processes we will actually be more profitable because there will be less waste in the initial construction, less maintenance, and more long term savings in energy and water use. It’s simply good business.

• Homes in St. Charles are actually constructed and sold by homebuilders such as Lennar, Ryan and Richmond. Will these builders participate?

  We reached agreements with the builders regarding our requirements and they are enthusiastically joining this effort.

• Why do you call St. Charles an “international model” when there are other communities with very aggressive Green initiatives?

  There are great initiatives taking place around the world and we are studying and learning from them. What sets us apart, however, is that St. Charles will prove that not only is being Green environmentally beneficial, it can also be economically beneficial.

• In real terms, what does ACPT contribute to St. Charles?

  Our contributions are extensive. ACPT has donated 10 sites for elementary, middle, and high schools. ACPT builds all roads, including St. Charles Parkway, Smallwood Drive, St. Patrick’s Drive, and Billingsley Road, which are all critical to the transportation grid that serves our residents, and all of Charles County. We provide the land for and have built 8 neighborhood centers, which include swimming pools, tennis, playgrounds, and much more. In addition, ACPT has made land donations for a minor league professional baseball stadium, two county parks, a public library, a church, a fire and EMS station, and several charities.

• What do the current residents of St. Charles think about the Green initiative?

  We have surveyed our community and see significant support for this effort. In addition, the residents themselves will be forming an advisory group to work with us on implement the changes we envision.