Prestigious international award program from Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) honors excellence in sustainable innovation
DENVER, Colo. (June 30, 2021) — Unico Properties LLC, a subsidiary of Unico Investment Group LLC that has been acquiring, managing, and developing commercial properties in Colorado for more than 14 years, today announced the company’s property at 1875 Lawrence St. in downtown Denver was named a 2021 recipient of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) LEAP Sustainable Fund Award, honoring property managers and tenants for excellence in areas including sustainability innovation, climate leadership, stakeholder engagement, and community impact.
This is the 10th year HOOPP has held the awards, which were announced at the organization’s Carbonzero Certified (CZC) virtual event on June 3.
1875 Lawrence is a 15-story, all-electric building located in Lower Downtown (LoDo). Unico purchased the building in 2016, implementing several improvements, including adding an updated building-automation system (BAS), enabling an Energy Information System (EIS), and installing a dual-port electric vehicle charging station at the property. The building, which is home to sustainability-minded tenants such as Ardent Mills, is LEED Gold-certified and Fitwel Viral Response Module (VRM) approved. Fitwel VRM is a third-party certification of the policies and practices that mitigate against the spread of viral disease in the built environment.
“Throughout our portfolio, Unico Properties prioritizes creating experiences that enhance human health and productivity, protect the natural environment and increase financial returns for our investors,” said Anita Jeerage, Director of Sustainable Real Estate at Unico. “With 1875 Lawrence, we focused on improving operational performance and finding a path to carbon neutrality, including participating in Xcel Energy’s Community Solar Garden program, in which we were able to purchase solar electricity from Unico Solar Investors’ 40-acre solar farm in Aurora.”
Leveraging community solar allows Unico to better control and predict the utility expenses in a volatile and rising utility rate environment. Colorado has seen a 90% increase in commercial utility rates since 2001 and is expected to see a further increase of 39% between 2021 and 2030.
1875 Lawrence will source an impressive 3.67M kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year from renewable energy, which correlates to an annual carbon emissions reduction of 2,596 MTC02. This is the equivalent of 5.8 million gallons of gasoline consumed or the energy used over an entire year by 5,989 homes.
Unico estimates that the electricity expense hedge generated by the community solar subscription at 1875 Lawrence will save the company $460,300 over the 20-year term.
“In addition to the carbon and cost savings generated, there’s no capital or ongoing maintenance expense for purchasing solar for the property,” Jeerage added. “This is a no-cost method to comply with Denver’s Green Building Ordinance.”
Unico currently has 4 million square feet under ownership and management in Colorado, including prominent downtown Denver buildings such as The DC Building, The Circa Building, 1875 Lawrence, 1660 Lincoln and Elephant Corral. For more information about Unico’s Colorado portfolio, please visit https://unicoprop.com/properties/.
About Unico Properties LLC
Unico Properties LLC, a subsidiary of Unico Investment Group LLC, is a commercial real estate investor, developer, and full-service operator focused on office and multifamily assets in emerging markets throughout the United States. Committed to transforming the built environment for the better, Unico has been acquiring, managing and developing commercial properties in Colorado for more than 15 years. Unico currently owns and operates nearly 4 million square feet of commercial properties in Colorado. For more information about Unico, please visit the firm’s website at https://unicoprop.com.