Whisper Valley bets $2B on sustainable suburbs

​​​AUSTIN – A $2 billion sustainable development is going up in East Austin. The quickly coalescing mega-development of Whisper Valley seems perfectly normal.​

A handful of finished model homes foreshadow​ a massive-planned community.

Upon completion, the development will encompass more than 7,500 single and multifamily homes and more than 2 million sf of commercial space.​

However, it’s not the size or scale that sets this development apart.

With geothermal wells being dug, Google Fiber high-speed internet cables being laid, and solar panels shipped in by the truckload, Whisper Valley offers something new: a sustainable, large-scale, and, most importantly, affordable suburban development.

Though it’s not the first large project to focus on green homes, it’s the largest and one of the most ambitious, aiming to provide net-zero energy capable homes (which produce as much energy as they use) squarely aimed at the mass market.