Enka Hills receive Housing North Carolina Awards

The Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity received one of five statewide awards  this week at the Affordable Housing Conference in Raleigh.  The award was for the Enka Hills development that is wrapping up, I believe the last house is under construction now.

Five affordable housing developments will receive Housing North Carolina Awards on Nov. 3 during the N.C. Affordable Housing Conference at the Raleigh Convention Center.  Sponsored by the N.C. Housing Finance Agency, the awards recognize outstanding affordable properties that can serve as models for other communities. More than 500 people are expected to attend the 20th annual awards luncheon. 

This year’s winners range from Wilmington to Asheville and include two neighborhoods of energy-efficient homes that are affordable for lower-income buyers.  Other winners include a large apartment development that replaced public housing and a shelter and transitional apartments in two central North Carolina communities that help families move from homelessness to self-sufficiency.    
Housing North Carolina Award winners are:  

• Barrington Village, a neighborhood of 24 single-family homes in Raleigh, developed by Builders of Hope.
• Enka Hills, a community of 55 single-family homes in Enka, developed by the Asheville Habitat for Humanity, with funding from the City of Asheville, the Janirve Foundation, and the W&S Charitable Foundation.  
• The Pointe at Taylor Estates and Robert R. Taylor Senior Homes, adjacent apartment communities for families and seniors in Wilmington, developed by Housing and Economic Opportunities, Inc., with funding from the City of Wilmington. 
• Families Together in Charlotte, townhome apartments for homeless families with children, developed by YWCA Central Carolinas, with funding from the City of Charlotte and Christ Church. 
• Fifth Street Shelter in Statesville, a homeless shelter that was developed by Diakonos, Inc., to replace the longstanding existing shelter.
  

The winners were selected for affordability; design (attractiveness, energy-efficiency); contribution to the community; sustainability as affordable housing; and features such as services for residents and creative partnerships.

More about Enka Hills:
Enka Hills is a 55-home community developed by the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity that is part of Buncombe County’s master plan for affordable housing. Located near Enka’s athletic park, the homes are designed in the Arts and Crafts style, with full front porches, to reflect other neighborhoods in the Asheville area.
 
The homes have two, three and four bedrooms and range in size from 884 to 1,494 square feet. They all incorporate energy efficiency measures, including SystemVision, and all are NCHealthyBuilt Homes. Buyers can purchase an energy-efficient front-loading washer/dryer combo at a substantial discount, and if needed, can finance the purchase through their mortgage at $1.75 per month.
 
The homes all have storage units and parking pads. Several homes are handicap-accessible, and the exterior design allows for minor retrofitting to add a ramp should one be needed at a later date.  Homeowners all take a landscaping class through the N.C. Cooperative Extension, and they provided most of the labor for the community’s landscaping.
 
The homes were built with the homeowners’ “sweat equity,” as well as with volunteer labor during several Homebuilder Association blitzes. The City of Asheville and the Janirve Foundation provided funding to acquire the site and for infrastructure development, and the W&S Charitable Foundation also contributed.
 
The homes cost $140,000 to $175,000. The N.C. Housing Finance Agency provided gap financing to the Asheville Area Habitat that provides $25,000 of financing at zero interest for each homeowner.
Contact: Lewis Kraus, executive director, Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, 828-251-5702.