State-of the-Art Green C-store to Open In South Florida

STUART, Fla. -- In less than a month, the first "green" commercial building in Florida’s Martin County will open, and it's a convenience store and Sunoco gas station.

Named "Planet Ozone," the $3 million structure has 18-foot-tall arched windows that allow light but not heat inside, solar panels on the roof and stucco walls made with recycled materials that don't need insulation because they are the insulation, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

In addition to sporting features such as rainwater collection and a paving system that filters rainwater before it reaches the groundwater, the location also will have an eight-seat café, an all-natural meat and produce market and a juice bar.

The store is the dream of owner Mohammad Hussein, who also owns the Discount Zone convenience store. "My parents put up solar panels 50 years ago and they are still working," said Hussein, who said he sees Planet Ozone as a return to his roots.

In what he plans to be a 24-hour café and take-out, Hussein and his wife will cook Mediterranean and Lebanese dishes. Italian dishes will be prepared by an Italian chef. Customers also will be able to buy freshly made natural juices, the report stated.

"We want to price it in the $6 range, and have large portions of protein as well as carbohydrates and vegetables so you're getting good quality," Hussein told the newspaper. "That's what we are focusing on: price and quality."

Instead of beer, the coolers will be stocked with natural and organic juices, produce and natural meats that meet strict Halal dietary guidelines similar to Kosher rules.

The building itself is unique architecturally —metal trusses had to be specially made to accommodate the sweeping curve design, said Jeff Cameron, the builder and president of Southern Building and Design Inc. in Jupiter, Fla. "It's pretty much a state-of-the-art building with features that step out from normal structures," Cameron said.

The building's green features, which typically add about 25 percent to the cost of a building, include a 7.9 kilowatt-hour solar electric system, a rainwater storage system for landscape irrigation and other specialty eco-friendly materials, according to the report.

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