STUART — Posted 11/9/09  By Jim Mayfield.  Stuart city commissioners on Monday initially approved a zoning change that lays the foundation for the first certified green, eco-friendly commercial building in Martin County.

Commissioners unanimously approved the rezoning of 2.88 acres at the old city landfill at the intersection of Southeast Monterey Road and Monterey Extension from public to commercial planned unit development to allow renovation of the former Monterey Pointe Golf and Practice Center facility.

Assuming final commission approval at its next meeting, work is expected to begin on the 6,000-square-foot building in January and last about five months, said Mark MacDonald, president of Ocean Gate general contractors, which will occupy the site.

MacDonald said the project has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and will incorporate a host of environmentally friendly features.

In addition to minimizing impact by using an existing site, the new offices will have preferred parking for low emission vehicles, a cistern to collect rainwater for irrigation and toilets, bicycle storage with indoor changing facilities and water-stingy landscaping with local plants.

“It’s an exciting time to be in the green building business,” MacDonald said. “Costs have come down and building green doesn’t necessarily mean spending a lot of money if you do things wisely.”

Once construction is completed, MacDonald said tours of the new facility will be given to publicize green building on the Treasure Coast.

“This is somewhat in the heart of the city, and we think it will give it a fresh look and let people know that good things are happening here,” he said.

The project will also use local materials and labor to support the local economy, MacDonald said.

MacDonald, through a limited liability company called Eco Ventures LLC, signed a 40-year lease on the city-owned property in May intending to pursue a two-phase project that would ultimately lead to the construction of a new environmentally friendly 20,000-square-foot, two-story commercial building at the site.

However, in August, the lender backed away from the multi-phase plan due to the shrinking economy and a glut of commercial real estate in the area, said Eco Venture’s attorney Terry McCarthy.

Though plans for the final phase of the project have not been abandoned, they will have to wait for the economy to turn around, MacDonald said.

The USGBC, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit organization dedicated to cost-efficient and energy-saving buildings.