Dominion Properties, a Milwaukee-based residential real estate developer and property investor, is pleased to announce that the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded Sage on Jackson, a 20-unit apartment complex located at 1509 N. Jackson St. in Milwaukee, with LEED Platinum certification. This level of certification for a LEED for Homes multifamily project is the first of its type in Wisconsin.

LEED for Homes is a green home certification program that rewards homes that are designed and built to be energy- and resource-efficient and more healthy and durable for the occupants. LEED-certified homes complete a technically rigorous process that often includes a home energy (HERS) rating and onsite inspections to verify that the home is built to be energy and water efficient, environmentally sound and a healthier place to live.

"Our goal was for Sage on Jackson to raise the bar for residential development in our region," said Christopher Adams, principal and co-owner of Dominion Properties. "With the recent news of the LEED Platinum certification, we believe we have achieved that goal."

Sage on Jackson is Dominion Properties' first new construction development project and the introduction of its Sage brand – a new model for environmentally sustainable design, development and building construction. Sage on Jackson is 80 percent leased, and the Dominion Properties team is already preparing for its next project – Sage on Prospect, an adaptive reuse of an existing building at 1825 N. Prospect that will begin construction in early 2015.

"With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment within a generation," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair of U.S. Green Building Council. "As the newest member of the LEED family of green buildings, Sage on Jackson is an important addition to the growing strength of the green building movement."

Dominion Properties recognizes the efforts of the project partners/supporters for this notable accomplishment: Striegel-Agacki Studio, Engberg Anderson, MMSD, Sustainable Building Solutions, Focus on Energy, Hanging Gardens, TJH Energy Consulting and Arch Electric as well as Bredin Building Systems, the construction manager and general contractor, and Bredan Mechanical Systems, Inc., the HVAC contractor.

While Dominion Properties has been entrenched in the Milwaukee community investing in local neighborhoods since 2000, their commitment to sustainability and the completion of Sage on Jackson has gained increased attention in the recent months. Dominion has been recognized with a Daily Reporter Newsmakers Up and Coming Firm award, as well as honored at the 7th Annual Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council Conference as a Green Master.

"Our team came together and proved we can make green work," said Mike O'Connor, principal and co-owner of Dominion Properties. "Now we can't wait to draw on our combined expertise as we embark on our next development – Sage on Prospect. We hope to, once again, prove to Milwaukee that sustainable living can make an immediate and measurable impact on the health and well-being of residents."