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Margaret Matrone, NCHFA, 919-877-5606,
Connie Helmlinger, NCHFA, 919-877-5607,
Five homeownership and rental developments and two specially designed residences for people with special needs were honored with Housing North Carolina Awards before more than 500 members of the housing industry. The awards were presented at yesterday’s Housing Forum 2004, held by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency in Research Triangle Park.
Award winners are:
Homeownership
- Jersey City Revitalization in Salisbury, developed by the Salisbury Community Development Corporation, with support from the City of Salisbury.
- Rosemary Place Townhomes at Meadowmont in Chapel Hill, developed by the Orange Community Housing and Land Trust.
Rental Apartments
- Cardinal Pointe in Shallotte, developed by the NRP Group, LLC, of Raleigh and Cleveland, OH.
Community Revitalization
- Capitol Park in Raleigh, developed by Raleigh Housing Authority.
- Aster Park at Gateway Commons in Winston-Salem, developed by the Housing Authority of the City of Winston-Salem and Eagan Partners, LLC, with support from City of Winston-Salem.
Supportive Housing
- LIFE House of Asheville, developed by Volunteers of America of the Carolinas, Inc., and Scott A. Redinger, Inc., with support from the CarePartners Foundation.
- Duke Street Apartments – Phase II in Mocksville, developed by Davie County Group Home, Inc., with support from the Davie County Commissioners.
The Housing North Carolina Awards recognize affordable housing developments that can serve as models for other communities. Criteria include affordability, design (attractiveness, energy-efficiency, and others), contribution to the community, sustainability, and other features, such as services for residents and creative partnerships.
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is a self-supporting public agency. Since its creation in 1973, the agency has financed 160,000 affordable homes and apartments.
Jersey City Revitalization, Salisbury
The Jersey City Neighborhood consists of approximately 55 homes centrally located within the City of Salisbury. Many of the homes had been boarded up before the City of Salisbury provided funding to the Salisbury Community Development Corporation (CDC) to purchase the vacant homes and land. The vacant homes were demolished, and the Salisbury CDC built nine homes and rehabilitated one. Homeowners chose from six home designs that blended in with the neighborhood architecture. The new homes include many features not commonly found in affordable housing, such as vaulted ceilings, walk-in closets, and islands in the kitchen. Salisbury CDC also partnered with several local businesses to provide computers and Internet access to the new homeowners. Local college students offered computer training and received college credit for community service.
Sales prices for the homes ranged from $85,000 to $96,000. Several local banks provided low-interest mortgages with the private mortgage insurance waived. In addition, the N.C. Housing Finance Agency provided Salisbury CDC with deferred, zero-interest second mortgage loans up to $20,000 per family.
Contact: Chanaka Yatawara, Salisbury Community Development Corporation, (704) 638-4474.
Rosemary Place Townhomes at Meadowmont, Chapel Hill
Rosemary Place Townhomes is the first affordable housing community to be included in an upper-income development in Chapel Hill. It was built by the nonprofit Orange Community Housing and Land Trust. The development furthers the Town of Chapel Hill’s vision for economically integrated developments by incorporating 32 townhomes priced from $80,000 to $99,000 in the Meadowmont community, where many homes sell for $500,000 and more. The community is close to shopping, a walking trail, and public transportation, and features a children’s play area and jungle gym.
The two- and three-bedroom townhomes, ranging from 1,024 to 1,368 square feet, are built to rigorous standards for energy-efficiency, dramatically reducing heating and cooling costs.
In addition, Hardi-Plank siding and 30-year roofing singles reduce future maintenance costs for owners. Many of the homes have front porches and back decks and include eat-in kitchens and loft bedrooms.
The homes are ensured to remain permanently affordable by the use of the community land trust model, which resulted from the donation of the land by East/West partners, the developer of Meadowmont. Under the land trust model, the homes are subject to a “resale formula” that limits the resale prices to the original price plus 25 percent of the market appreciation. This model keeps the homes affordable even when land values rapidly rise in the area.
Contact: Robert Dowling, Orange Community Housing and Land Trust, (919) 960-0076.
Cardinal Pointe, Shallotte
Cardinal Pointe is one of the few affordable housing developments in Brunswick County. A development of 60 townhouse and garden-style apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms, Cardinal Pointe has been so successful that construction on a second phase of 60 additional apartments is already under way. Enough applications have been received that the apartments will be occupied upon completion.
Units include features common to more expensive apartments, such as walk-in closets, vaulted ceilings, ceiling fans, and balconies, decks, and patios. Security alarms also are available in some apartments.
Amenities include a playground, walking trails, garden spots, and gazebos. Residents also have access to a fitness center, pool, clubhouse, and gas grills. Rents range from $375 to $640 depending on the number of bedrooms. The development was financed by low-income housing tax credits through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, a loan from the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program, and a private bank loan.
Contact: Brad Parker, NRP Southeast Development, LLC/The NRP Group, LLC, (919) 882-2134.
Capitol Park, Raleigh
Constructed on the site of a public housing complex built in the 1930s, Capitol Park set a national record for the HOPE VI program when it went from the fully occupied Halifax Court public housing project to a fully occupied Capitol Park mixed-income rental development in three years and seven months. Capitol Park features a 90-unit senior living facility named Parkview Manor, 24 one-bedroom villa-style apartments, 58 townhomes, and 37 single-family homes.
The Raleigh Housing Authority and its non-profit development subsidiary, Capitol Area Developments, began the revitalization by soliciting input from residents of Halifax Court and the surrounding neighborhood through more than 100 meetings.
The development includes a one-acre park, community building, and day care facility. Residents of Parkview Manor have access to computer classes, exercise classes, health and safety seminars, gardening events, transportation to the grocery store, bingo, and intergenerational programs with area schools. A Community Learning Center is currently being added. In addition, all residents of Capitol Park are offered first-time homeowner classes. Rents vary depending on the style and size of the apartment and the resident’s income, with the units being a combination of rent-assisted and market rate. Capitol Park was financed with a HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-income housing tax credits from the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, private equity and reserves, land sales proceeds, and conventional financing from local lenders.
Contact: Steve Beam, Raleigh Housing Authority and Capitol Area Developments, Inc., (919) 508-1300.
Aster Park at Gateway Commons, Winston-Salem
Aster Park at Gateway Commons is the second phase of a four-part development that is completely transforming Kimberly Park Terrace, a 50-year-old public housing project in Winston-Salem. Phase II consists of 170 one-, two-, and three-bedroom garden apartments and three- and four-bedroom townhouse apartments. Amenities include ranges with self-cleaning ovens, refrigerators with icemakers, dishwashers, and walk-in closets. Residents provided input into the design process for the community.
The community offers a walking trail, tot lots, and recreational and park areas. Aster Park provides several programs to help residents achieve economic self-sufficiency, including job training, employment connections, continuing education, and referrals to community services. Many of these services are available on-site. Aster Park is a mixed-income community with some residents receiving rental assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Rents for the 145 tax credit units range from $312 to $813, depending on the number of bedrooms and the resident’s income.
The development was financed with a HOPE VI grant from HUD, low-income housing tax credits awarded through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, and private investors.
Contact: J. Reid Lawrence, Housing Authority of the City of Winston-Salem, (336) 727-8500.
Contact: Gaye W. Morgan, Eagan Partners, LLC, (336) 765-0424.
LIFE House of Asheville
LIFE House is a complex of 20 apartments designed to meet the needs of young adults with severe physical disabilities, such as paraplegia and quadriplegia, and to support their efforts toward greater independence. The LIFE House concept was born in 1997 when staff at Thoms Rehabilitation Hospital sought to address the housing conditions that they believed hindered their patients’ recoveries. The hospital enlisted Volunteers of America of the Carolinas and Scott A. Redinger, Inc., to serve as co-developers and owners. LIFE stands for “Living Independently is For Everyone.” Before moving to LIFE House, seven residents lived in nursing homes; six lived with parents or friends in homes that were not fully accessible; and seven lived in apartments that were not accessible. LIFE House’s two-bedroom apartments feature roll-in showers, widened doorways, low windows and peepholes, remote control door openers, and side-by-side refrigerators. Residents have access to a therapy room, a community lounge, a gym and wellness center, and a computer room. In addition, case managers from Thoms have an office on-site and work with residents during the day as needed. At night, staff are available to address any emergencies.
Rents are $474 for one-bedroom units and $614 for two-bedroom units. The Asheville Housing Authority provides project-based rental assistance through the Section 8 program.
The development is funded by several partners, including the N.C. Housing Finance Agency’s Supportive Housing Program and the City of Asheville. CarePartners, a group of companies that provides home health and hospice care, and Thoms Community Foundation (which has since merged into CarePartners) provided the funds for the land.
Contact: Pepper Schales-Elkins, Volunteers of America of the Carolinas, (803) 753-0220.
Duke Street Apartments – Phase II, Mocksville Duke Street Apartments is a four-apartment development that provides permanent housing and support services to persons with developmental disabilities. Davie County Group Home, Inc., developed the four apartments on land donated from the Davie County Commissioners. The apartments are located in an established residential neighborhood. The property includes four earlier units converted from a county building. Each of the new apartments has a large great room/dining room area, bedroom, bath, and kitchen. One unit is totally wheelchair accessible, and all four are equipped with washers, dryers, appliances, and furnishings.
The monthly rent of $450 includes individual services for residents, with staff on-site 30-40 hours per week and emergency staff available 24 hours a day. Staff assist residents with establishing bank accounts, obtaining medical services, learning housekeeping and self-help skills, and accessing recreational and social activities in the community. Duke Street Apartments collaborates with CenterPoint Human Services for case management and medical services. Residents are eligible for HUD Section 8 vouchers, which limit their costs to 30% of their income.
Primary financing for the facility is a zero-interest loan from Housing Trust Fund through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency and rent supplements from the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments.
Contact: Judy P. Rosser, Davie County Group Home, Inc., (336) 751-5014.
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