Habitat for Humanity's plan to build 20 houses in Oxford is on track.
The Tri-State board for Habitat for Humanity has approved the plan to build two streets with 10 houses each off Oxford's Hester Road, near Wal-Mart, in an effort to bring more affordable housing to the city. Work is expected to begin in 2010 in a building blitz with each street of houses being built in one week, Habitat's Oxford branch president, Jim Lipnickey, recently told the Oxford Housing Advisory Commission.
"This is unlike anything that has been done in Ohio," said Lipnickey. "This is big for our affiliate, let alone our chapter."
The total project is set to cost around $2 million, quite an undertaking considering Habitat for Humanity chapters usually build only one house at a time.
The chapter is currently negotiating the purchase of the land. "The plan is evolving as we speak. We don't have the land, so it's not a done deal yet," said Lipnickey. If all goes as expected, the next step would be to have the subdivision approved by the city, which would take six to eight months.
"It's going to be a ton of work," said Lipnickey. "The first part is getting more people."
Good fit with city comprehensive plan
Jung-Han Chen, community development director for the city of Oxford, said Habitat's blitz fits well with the goals and objectives of the city's comprehensive plan, which includes expanding affordable housing and growing the number of homeowners.
The plan also promotes partnership between the city and nonprofit corporations and agencies to develop affordable housing opportunities, Chen said.
The Oxford chapter of Habitat for Humanity generates $13,000 a year from the mortgages of existing homes, and that money goes to build new homes. Mortgages on Habitat homes are interest-free and held by Habitat for Humanity. Families are assessed a minimum of $20,000 for the lot. This amount, plus the cost to build, equals the mortgage.
Lipnickey said he plans to go to Habitat for Humanity International for grants and help with PR for the project.
On a more local scale, the chapter also plans to send out letters to every organization in the city of Oxford, offering to give a presentation on the project, in an effort to recruit volunteers. Lipnickey will focus on building a relationship with Miami University's sororities and fraternities to sponsor some of the homes.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for volunteers," said Lipnickey. "The only thing you need to help is a heartbeat."
The foundations of the homes will be in place at the beginning of the build, and professionals will aid volunteers in building the homes from the floor up, with about 20 to 30 people working on each.
There currently are six Habitat for Humanity homes in Oxford. The Oxford Housing Advisory Commission said the 2010 building blitz fits in nicely with Oxford's bicentennial that year. Habitat also plans to build a house in College Corner this fall.
Model for other chapters?
Kate Currie, a member of the commission, said she hopes the project can be a model for other Habitat chapters.
"I think it will be a great opportunity for various organizations and members of the community to come together to work to help the citizens of Oxford find quality, affordable housing they can take pride in," Currie said.
The property for the lots is projected to cost $250,000, and the houses are projected to cost about $60,000 each. Homes will be roughly 1,100 square feet, with three to five bedrooms, depending on the size of the family.
Whirlpool Corp. provides a washer, dryer and range for every Habitat for Humanity house. These homes also will be Energy Star-rated, for an extra cost of $2,000. Homeowners will pay off this difference in about two-and-a-half years.
The families also will get $1,000 to put into the house in any way they want, excluding some things Habitat won't do - such as bay windows and garages. These houses also will not have basements; it's cheaper to build a crawl space for storage.
Habitat currently is in the process of selecting families to live in the neighborhood, and already has interviewed five prospective families. Families must fulfill three requirements to be eligible: come from a substandard home, put in 500 hours of sweat equity and be able to pay the mortgage on the home.
Ambitious Goal
• Habitat for Humanity plans to build two streets with 10 homes on each in Oxford.
• The project, which is slated to begin in 2010, still faces several hurdles.
• The chapter currently is negotiating the purchase of the land. If that goes well, it would ask the city to approve the subdivision.
• The project would cost about $2 million.
Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Kyle Zemanek Courier Contributor 5/16/08
