BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- From rundown to energy efficient, Binghamton's City Council has unanimously approved legislation that will allow the city to build the state's first publicly financed straw bale home.

The council approved selling 47 Mary Street in Binghamton, which used to be a rundown home, for one dollar so that the property can be used to build a new energy efficient house. The house will then be sold below market value to a qualifying low-to-moderate income family.

The total cost for the home's construction is estimated to be about $165,000, all coming from state and federal funding.

The city says it's all part of their effort to eliminate rundown properties and make environmentally friendly housing available to those who ordinarily could not afford it.

"It's also an example of the type of home we want to build across all our programs for affordable housing. Just in as much as it is energy efficient and on that basis will produce energy savings for the home owner and reduce our carbon footprint here in the city," said Binghamton Community Relations Director Andrew Block.

The house on Mary Street is a pilot project which the city hopes will become an example for neighborhood restoration projects nationwide.