All Star Volvo getting a new green home

All Star Automotive has broken ground on a 16,500-square-foot showroom and service center for its Volvo dealership at Airline Highway and Coursey Boulevard that should become Louisiana’s first LEED-certified auto dealership, says COO Dennis Carlin. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an international green building certification program that’s been around since 2000. Carlin says the Volvo building will feature recycled or locally produced building materials, as well as an on-site solar panel field that could generate as much as 10% of the electricity used by the dealership. Solar and wind power credits will also be purchased to further offset traditional electricity sources, he says. All Star Automotive is spending about $300,000 on various features required for LEED certification, which usually occurs months after a building has been completed and all the green features have been verified. The total cost of the new dealership is roughly $3 million, Carlin says. Completion is expected in late April, weather permitting. All Star Automotive has been operating its Hyundai and Volvo dealerships jointly at the site for about the past year. Meanwhile, Carlin says, the company acquired a license Wednesday to expand its Dodge dealership in Denham Springs to include Chrysler and Jeep. That dealership will likely get an extensive remodel in the latter half of next year, he says. —Steve Sanoski