Environmental Sustainability

Hillwood has incorporated environmentally friendly measures into its projects since the company began in the late 1980s.  Green development has environmental, economic, and social elements that benefit all stakeholders, including owners, occupants and the general public.  At Hillwood, we are committed to sustainable practices even if a project is not actively pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.  

Most recently, Hillwood Investment Properties received LEED Gold certification for the renovation and of the 608,169 SF Just Born Distribution Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  The project also won the Lehigh Valley Branch of the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (DVGBC) sustainability award, honoring the project and individuals for their contribution to adapting and expanding the existing structure.  In San Bernardino California, five buildings developed by Hillwood totaling more than 1.2 million square feet at Interchange Business Center received LEED Silver certification. At the time of its certification, the project was the largest speculative industrial project in the country and one of the largest projects in California to receive LEED certification.

Currently, Hillwood Investment Properties is seeking LEED certification for the 602,500 SF Bay Valley Foods facility in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and the 303,642 SF Natures Best facility in Flower Mound, Texas.  In addition, Hillwood's 300-acre Alliance Town Center in Fort Worth, Texas, is part of the U.S. Green Building Council's pilot program to create standards for its new LEED for Neighborhood Development category.

Since 2005, Hillwood has used 100% renewable energy for the majority of its electricity needs at its projects in North Texas. The company subsequently was designated as a Green Power Partner by the Environmental Protection Agency.  Hillwood ranks as the second largest real estate purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S and the largest in Texas. 

While implementing many energy efficient and environmentally friendly initiatives, Hillwood has for more than two decades utilized extensive tree planting and transplanting programs and trail systems in their developments.  Hillwood is constantly evaluating developing technologies for use in our developments such as energy efficient warehouse lighting, motion sensor controls, light pipes and skylights for day-lighting, as well as innovative irrigation technologies and on-site renewable power.  Hillwood has proactively worked with many of our tenants to complete lighting retrofits with energy efficient lighting programs.  Innovative methods have been developed to protect storm water quality, reduce potable water use and since 1998, Hillwood Investment Properties has planted over 12,350 new trees and saved many more existing trees in our developments across the country. 

Hillwood began a year-long remediation of a blighted 75-acre urban tract near downtown Dallas in 1998. The site formerly held a rail yard, a power generating plant, a landfill, several dilapidated warehouses and a grain silo.  It is now called Victory, a new district in downtown Dallas.  Recognized by the EPA for its remediation of the Victory site, Hillwood received the distinguished Phoenix Award. Other projects with significant remediation include AllianceCalifornia, the redevelopment project of the former Norton Air Force Base and InterChange Business Park, a World War II-era bomb plant that sat idle for 60 years. Today, both are productive industrial logistics centers and an economic boom for the local economy of Southern California.

Today, Hillwood Investment Properties is focused on renovating distressed assets and incorporating green materials that have high recycled content, rapidly renewable resources, and low VOC content.  Our property management group uses Energy Star Portfolio Manager to benchmark energy usage for certain customer portfolios.  We have also conducted energy audits on specific properties to measure performance and to look for ways to improve energy efficiency and reduce waste through smarter operations.

Eight members of Hillwood’s development and construction teams have been LEED trained and are now LEED Accredited Professionals.