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More affordable housing is coming to Buncombe County as Asheville Area Habitat For Humanity (AAHFH) has started construction at 1 Curry Court in Candler. The project will bring homeownership opportunities to 12 families and the initiative is receiving $350,000 from Buncombe County. Affordable housing is one of the Board of Commissioners’ six strategic priorities. “The Curry Court neighborhood is a great example of a community partnership for housing affordability in Buncombe County,” says Rachael Nygaard, the County’s Director of Strategic Priorities. “This is important because affordable housing is in short supply in our area, and it’s such a critical foundation for healthy, safe, and thriving families and communities.”
The Curry Court site is the first time AAHFH is utilizing density by building eight townhomes and four single-family homes. “With townhomes, we are able to serve more families and offer a different product so folks that maybe weren’t interested in a Habitat home, a single-family home… it gives us a different product for a different part of the market,” notes AAHFH Executive Director Andy Barnett.
“We’re seeing more and more Habitat affiliates, in expensive markets like Asheville, move toward a higher density townhome approach. This is our test case. If it works at this scale, we’re going to take it to our next neighborhood in West Asheville,” explains Barnett, who says that project could have upward of 100 homes with a higher density footprint.
AAHFH anticipates finishing a home about every month with all 12 being finished in 12 to 18 months. The nonprofit says the homes will appraise for about $230,000 and will be sold around the $150,000 price range. Find more information about applying for homeownership through AAHFH on the AAHFH website.
