The groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday prominently featured words such as “renewables” and “sustainability.” Such words generally don’t buzz around building a $108 million building that will feature multi-family housing and retail.

Wellory Living at MidCity District in Huntsville, though, is different. First announced last month, its unique trait is that plans call for it to be a net zero energy facility by developer RCP Companies. While RCP has other multi-family projects at MidCity under construction such as Metronome and Anthem House, the aspiring carbon-free footprint at the Wellory is a first.

Related: $108 million project with ‘net zero living’ coming to Huntsville’s MidCity District

“We’ve been thinking about sustainable elements for years,” RCP co-founder Remy Gross said. “We’ve incorporated smaller, sustainable elements but a lot of it was finding the right team. That’s both the architectural team, the engineering team, and funders, who are willing to make a long-term commitment to show the region and the southeast how this can really be done. So really, it was our finding the right team, particularly the funders that are willing to take a long view to try and do something really creative long-term for the community.”

The Wellory, to be located behind Dave & Buster’s, will have solar panels across its roof to help generate as much renewable power as it uses in the 328 apartment units and retail tenants in the 13,000 square foot building. Still, developers said the Wellory will include a roof-level lounge and outdoor terrace. The development is expected to be completed by summer 2025.

Developers say the Wellory will include the following features in its effort to maximize energy efficiency:

• Reflective roofing
• Reduced air leakage
• Energy Star appliances
• High-performing HVAC systems
• Smart thermostats and technology

It’s a concept Gross said has not been seen across the southeast in multi-family housing – at least not to the scale of the Wellory. But it’s similar to the Facebook data center in Huntsville that has built a field a solar panels to power its facility – the biggest difference is that the Wellory will have its panels on the roof rather than in a field at ground level.

“This one project in the middle of MidCity is very important for our community to see if we can copy it over and over and over,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said.

That’s an aspect of this project, Gross said.

“This can be done,” Gross said. “It’s tried and true. It’s been tested; it’s been validated. And this is something that can be used over and over. And our project can basically be a learning slate, if you will, for other developers to go and do similar projects.”

Construction of net zero buildings is more expensive – Gross said about 5-10% more than a conventional building – but that energy savings on the back end makes up for the cost on the front end. Plans are to make rent at the Wellory comparable to other similar multi-family facilities in Huntsville despite the higher initial cost, Gross said.

And as a somewhat novel concept in mixed-use developments, Gross said, the project can also be educational. Monitors in the public lobby of the Wellory will illustrate the amount of energy being generated by the rooftop solar panels. It could even be a destination for school field trips, Gross said.

Ultimately, Gross said net zero success at the Wellory will be defined by essentially blending into the life of tenants.

“For me, success for the Wellory is we have a desirable product for the community where they don’t even know that they’re doing well for the environment,” he said. “That it’s so transparent that it’s normal living but it’s better living and they don’t have to change behavior or change patterns in any kind of massive way in order to do it.”