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Several local organizations are joining together to build a 'green' home for a low-income family that officials hope will be the seed for more affordable housing.
The Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County has awarded a grant of $175,000 to the project for an environmentally friendly home in the Sandhill Estates development on the south side of Iowa City.
Cheryl Nelson, CEO of the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors, stressed that details still need to be finalized.
If everything works out, groundbreaking is expected this fall. The home would be finished by the spring and included in the 2009 Parade of Homes. It would be sold to a family at or below 80 percent of the area median income.
When the property is sold, net proceeds would go tot he Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, Nelson said. That money would be used for future projects, and officials hope those funds would act as seed money for a self-supporting affordable housing program, said Doug Boothroy, Iowa City's direct of housing and inspection services.
Organizations that worked to get the grant were the Iowa City Housing Authority, the Iowa City Area Association of Realtors, SouthGate Development Company, the Extend the Dream Foundation and the University of Iowa College of Law's clinical law program.
They will continue to help, including assisting with the home's design and securing donations and discounted services, Boothroy said.
By: Rick Smith, Adam Belz, and Greg Hennigan
The Gazette |
