BUTLER TWP — Butler Crossing, the township's newest shopping center, is also the first LEED certified retail center in the state.

Randy Hake, director of development for Cedarwood Development of Akron, Ohio, said Friday the shopping center will be certified as LEED Core and Shell, meaning materials and construction methods have been used to make the entire shopping center energy efficient.

"We have to consider things like insulation, air conditioning and air quality, how we deal with stormwater, et cetera," Hake said.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and involves standards set by U.S. Green Building Council for constructing environmental friendly, energy efficient buildings and developments.

Pittsburgh has its own LEED organization, the Green Building Alliance, and Cedarwood works with both the USGBC and the Pittsburgh group.

Hake said the company became interested in green building because Cedarwood leadership believes that LEED certification is on track to become law, rather than a voluntary effort.

Jennifer Novotny, Cedarwood's marketing manager for retail development, said that California already is moving in that direction, while Pennsylvania has similar leanings.

The company began moving Butler Crossing toward LEED certification while dealing with the Butler Area Sewer Authority's sewage overflow problems in Alameda Park.

To get building and occupancy permits, Cedarwood had to install a temporary sewage holding tank under part of the property that during times of snow melt or rain can hold up to a day's worth of sewage for release at a later time.

Hake said a sensor in Alameda Park will trigger the Cedarwood tank to close a valve if the flow is too great within the park. Up to 20,000 gallons of sewage and waste water can be held for 24 hours, before being slowly released into the BASA system.

"That got us thinking about other ways to deal with stormwater and other environmental issues for the center," he said.

Other LEED features at Butler Crossing include:

• Heat reflective roof

• Water efficient restrooms

• Permanent recycling stations for the public and retailers

• Recycling by contractors during construction

• Low VOC, volatile organic compounds, which cause fumes and other pollution.

• Hybrid car parking spaces.

"If you drive a hybrid car, you'll get a better (closer to building) parking space," he said.

Most LEED aspects at the shopping center won't be seen by the average customer, as they are hidden in walls or underground.

Instead, shoppers can look forward to the following store openings:

• Kohl's is about to begin construction, with plans to open in spring 2010;

• Ross is to open in mid-July;

• Applebees will start construction soon and should be open by November;

• Petco will open by July;

• Michael's, which will move from its current location at Bon Aire Shopping Center on Route 8 to Butler Crossings, will be open in February.