Before co-founding Fit Properties in 2007, CEO Richard Montaño was an aerospace engineer consulting on the design of military drones. Today, his sights are set on developing green homes. On Nov. 18, Fit breaks ground on the 27-unit Golden Hill Row Homes. The project will be built on an urban infill site just east of Downtown. The homes will be sold under a newly launched brand, Sofia Living--literally "wise living," to mean environmentally conscious homes built with locally sourced materials and healthy finishes. Presidio Residential Capital provided $8.2M to build phase one.
Solar panels will provide more than half of the homes' electricity, and homeowners will have the option to go completely solar. (Bet you can't try just one.) Fit will break ground in January on another Sofia Living project in Bankers Hill. Richard says he's not seeing many builders use green as a sales point for residential developments, but with wider availability and lower prices for sustainable products, you'll see a lot more doing so, he says. Fit is a family affair: Wife Marissa is the co-founder and CFO; they have three kids: Sofia, Richie, and Roman. Richard also is president of Voiceless Film, a nonprofit that's making a documentary about the US foster care system.
