Press Contact Only:
Margaret Matrone, NCHFA, 919-877-5606,
RALEIGH--Five rental and homeownership developments and a residence for homeless veterans were awarded Housing North Carolina Awards today for excellence in affordable housing. The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency presented the annual awards during a luncheon attended by 400 housing industry representatives at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Research Triangle Park.
The winners are: homeownership--Cardinal Glen in Charlotte and White Laurel II in Boone; rental apartments--The Bungalows in Davidson, Madison Glen in Raleigh, and Paladin Village Apartments in Greenville; and supportive housing--Sergeant Eugene Ashley, Jr. Memorial Center in Wilmington. Paladin Village was cited for its contribution to the rebuilding effort after Hurricane Floyd.
Plaques were presented to the partners in each development team. These included: Cardinal Glen—Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and City of Charlotte; White Laurel II—Northwestern Regional Housing Authority of Boone; The Bungalows—Davidson Housing Coalition, Town of Davidson, and The Affordable Housing Group of Charlotte; Madison Glen—DHIC, Inc., of Raleigh, City of Raleigh, and Wake County,
Also: Paladin Village—Evergreen Construction Company of Raleigh; Sergeant Eugene Ashley Center—Wilmington Housing Finance and Development, Inc.; Good Shepherd Ministries, Inc. of Wilmington; City of Wilmington; Fayetteville Medical Center of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and. North Carolina HUD Office in Greensboro, Community Planning and Development Division.
Now in its twelfth year, the Housing North Carolina Awards recognize affordable housing developments that can serve as models for other communities. The winners were judged for affordability, creative financing, attractive design, cost-effective construction, services offered to residents and other features.
Judges for the 2001 competition were: Terry Beckman, LISC; Bill Hobbs, USDA Rural Development; Bill McNeil, Division of Community Assistance, N.C. Department of Commerce; and Lawrence Wilson, Office of Economic Opportunity, N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is a self-supporting public agency. Since its creation in 1973, the agency has financed more than 118,000 affordable homes and apartments for North Carolinians.
A description of each winner and the contact person follows:
Cardinal Glen, Charlotte
Cardinal Glen is a mixed income subdivision developed by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership (CMHP) on vacant land in Charlotte’s Derita neighborhood. CHMP is a nonprofit housing developer with support from the City of Charlotte, which also received an award.
CMHP’s goal was to build an economically integrated community that blends with the surrounding neighborhoods. It invited neighbors to help plan the subdivision. Of the 62 homes built so far, 41 homes have been purchased by families earning less than 80 percent of median income ($45,680). Because the majority of residents are first-time homebuyers, CMHP offers quarterly workshops on taxes, landscaping, and budgeting and financing.
The subdivision offers several three- and four-bedroom floor plans. Some models have vaulted ceilings, separate dining rooms, two-car garages and covered porches. CMHP’s Home Sweet Loan financing offers homebuyers low interest second mortgages and forgivable third mortgages.
Contact: Patricia Garrett, Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership, 704-342-0933.
White Laurel II, Boone
White Laurel II is a subdivision of 20 homes located on a mountainside in the Brook Hollow Road area of Boone. The subdivision was developed by Northwestern Housing Enterprises, Inc., a nonprofit subsidiary of Northwestern Regional Housing Authority.
All of the homes in the development were originally flood-damaged properties moved from a flood plain in Boone. Through a $2.5 million FEMA Flood Mitigation Project, the town purchased the homes and then sold them for $10 each to Northwestern Housing Enterprises, which moved the homes to the White Laurel site. The homes were then completely renovated.
The resulting subdivision consists of 20 architecturally-unique homes with paved driveways, enclosed garages, decks and beautiful mountain views. The development serves first-time homebuyers, primarily families with incomes below 80 percent of median income ($32,080). Northwestern Housing Enterprises has also built rental apartments near the site.
Contact: Ned Fowler, Northwestern Housing Enterprises, 828-264-6683.
The Bungalows, Davidson
The Bungalows is a community of 33 apartments developed by The Davidson Housing Coalition (DHC), the Town of Davidson, and The Affordable Housing Group, a nonprofit developer located in Charlotte. The property consists of duplex-style apartments designed to look like single-family, bungalow-style homes.
The development’s unique look was the result of meetings between the architect and area neighbors who wanted to insure that the apartments blended with the historic character of the town’s existing housing. The apartments are available to households with incomes below 50 percent of median income ($28,050).DHC provides housing counseling and homebuyer education classes to residents, as well as programs for seniors and children.
Financing for The Bungalows includes federal housing tax credits and a state Housing Trust Fund loan through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency; a loan of federal HOME funds through a local consortium; a loan from First Charter National Bank; and Federal Home Loan Bank grant through First Charter National Bank. The Town of Davidson donated land and infrastructure improvements worth $123,500.
Contact: Will Bradshaw, Davidson Housing Coalition, 704-892-4486.
Madison Glen, Raleigh
Madison Glen is a mixed-income apartment community near Lynn Road and Ray Road in Raleigh. It was developed by DHIC, Inc., a local nonprofit housing developer, with support from the City of Raleigh and Wake County, which also received awards.
Fifty of the development’s 120 apartments serve households with incomes at or below 60 percent of median income ($37,680); four of the units are reserved for participants in Wake County’s Work First program. By combining market-rate units with apartments financed with federal tax credits, DHIC was able to provide amenities for all residents, including a clubhouse, business center, fitness center and swimming pool.
Financing for Madison Glen includes federal housing tax credits and a loan from the state Housing Trust Fund provided through the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, and loans from the City of Raleigh, Wake County, and Banc One/First Union,
Contact: Gregory Warren, DHIC, Inc., 919-832-4345.
Paladin Village, Greenville
Paladin Village in Greenville, a 48-unit apartment community developed by Evergreen Construction Company of Raleigh, was the first affordable rental development built in Greenville after Hurricane Floyd displaced many Eastern North Carolina renters. The apartments serve households with incomes between 50 percent and 60 percent of median ($22,800-$27,360).
Evergreen Construction Company responded to the N.C. Housing Finance Agency’s request for proposals to build affordable rental housing by purchasing a site that had already been prepared for market-rate apartments. Paving, curbing and utilities were in place, enabling the developer to get a head start in building the property. As a result, the apartments were available for occupancy in November 2000, less than 12 months after the project was funded.
The apartments are 1,029 and 1,253 square feet, with open designs and lots of natural light. Units include wall-to-wall carpeting, stoves, dishwashers, and frost-free refrigerators, and washer-dryer hookups. Rents are $325 and $355 for two bedrooms and $425 and $455 for three bedrooms.
Financing for Paladin Village included federal and state housing tax credits and funds from the state Housing Trust Fund.
Contact: Lyle Gardner or Tim Morgan, Evergreen Construction Company, 919-848-2041.
Sargeant Eugene Ashley, Jr. Memorial Center, Wilmington
The Eugene Ashley, Jr. Memorial Center provides transitional housing for homeless veterans. It was developed by Wilmington Housing Finance and Development, Inc. Other partners in the development also received awards: Good Shepherd Ministries, Inc. of Wilmington, which owns and manages the center; the City of Wilmington; the Fayetteville Medical Center of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; and. Community Planning and Development Division of the North Carolina HUD Office in Greensboro.
Formerly the Washington Catlett School, the building was rehabilitated into transitional housing for 24 homeless men and women. Eighteen units are designated for homeless veterans The residents, many of whom are battling chronic substance abuse or mental health disabilities, can live at the Center for up to 18 months. A live-in manager/counselor is available to residents 24 hours a day; and supportive services are provided to residents by the Southeastern Center for Mental Health, Cape Fear Community College, the Inter-Agency Council for Homelessness, and the New Hanover County Department of Social Services.
Financing for the Ashley Memorial Center included loans from the state Housing Trust Fund, the City of Wilmington and BB&T, and grants from the Veterans Administration and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Contact: Gregory Gaweda, Wilmington Housing Finance & Development, 910-341-4661.
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