Downtown Austin's newest condominium project won't have high-rise views or luxurious amenities.

Instead, the 33-unit project will have solar energy, tankless water heaters and a rainwater collection system.

Developers Rance Clouse and Tom Patton are building the project, called 904 West for its address on West Avenue, near Duncan Park. The $8 million project will have 22 condominium units, nine live-work units and two commercial spaces.

Prices will start in the mid-$160,000s, rising to $330,000 for the largest unit. The condominiums will range in size from about 500 square feet to 1,100 square feet; the live-work units will be 500 to 900 square feet.

Clouse and Patton, along with Will Meredith, are teaming up for their first project as West Avenue Properties LLC, a development firm specializing in urban and multifamily communities.

Clouse said 904 West will be the first condominium project downtown to offer every resident their own solar power unit, with an optional online power-use monitor.

It also is the first residential building in Austin to have 100 percent low-energy LED lighting, Clouse said.

Because of all its green building features and its solar arrays, it has the capability of being the most, if not one of the most, energy-efficient condominium projects in downtown Austin, said Carlos Cordova, a spokesman for Austin Energy.

Construction will wrap up soon on the first seven residential units; one is under contract and two more contracts are pending.

The first units will be available for move-in during April.

Green features include recycled and sustainable materials, including Brazilian hardwood; double-paned, low-energy glass and windows; energy-efficient Bosch appliances; tankless water heaters; high-efficiency roof insulation; and native landscaping.

Cordova said 904 West is the type of project that is encouraged by the City of Austin.

The city and Austin Energy are working toward a goal of having 65 percent of new single-family construction be capable of zero net energy consumption by 2015, meaning the homes potentially could generate as much electricity as they consume, with solar panels and advanced energy-efficiency features.

The 904 West project is attracting interest from professionals, empty-nesters and second-home owners who want to live downtown but in a neighborhood setting, Clouse said.

Although zoning rules would have allowed a much taller project, we didn't want to be a 40-story beacon in the middle of this neighborhood, Clouse said. The surrounding neighborhood mostly has two-story houses used as apartments and offices.

Instead of being involved with sprawl development, we focused on sustainable development, said Clouse, who also owns Fortis Realty Services, which was involved in designing the first phase of the Bel Air condominium project on South Congress Avenue.

The solar systems cost a total of $515,592, Cordova said. The city returned $365,107, about 71 percent of the cost, to the developers as rebates, he said.

The solar installations will generate an estimated 113,839 kilowatt-hours per year, Cordova said — enough to provide electricity to about 10 average-size Austin homes for a year.

Put another way: the savings are equivalent to planting 2,583 trees in Austin's parks, or the removal of 132,278 vehicle-miles or 17 cars from Austin roadways, Cordova said.