The Greater Charlottesville community has recognized that a severe shortage of affordable housing is eroding its quality of life and economic well-being. 

This shortage is most serious in the urban areas where lower income jobs are readily available but housing costs are rising rapidly.  These high costs are forcing low income workers into the rural areas where land is much more affordable.  This trend undermines the community desire to preserve the rural areas for future generations and minimize traffic growth and air quality problems.

Habitat responded to these goals by changing its strategic focus from building single family homes in the rural areas, where land was once affordable, to building high density mixed income communities in or close to Charlottesville.

Mixed income development makes for a better society and proximity to the urban areas improves access to public transportation. This helps low income working families avoid the high costs of owning a car, dramatically increases their disposable income and time at home with their children, and eases traffic jams and air pollution.

The first step in Habitat’s new high-density urban strategy is the Nunley Street development currently underway in Charlottesville where six Builders Blitz homes were built in a single week in the summer of 2006. This development will have a total of 35 affordable homes upon completion. The second step was the purchase of the two-acre Sunrise Trailer Park in Charlottesville which Habitat will redevelop into a mixed income community of approximately 40 affordable homes, without displacing any of the residents who want to stay. Sunrise is on a city bus route and it will be developed in partnership with other more specialized housing non-profit partners for affordable units and private developers for market rate units.

In March 2007, Habitat purchased the 100 acre Southwood Mobile Home Park just south of I-64 near Charlottesville. Southwood will be developed in partnership with local developers as a high-density, mixed-use, mixed-income community with hundreds of homes and access to public transportation has been committed by local governments. This is the largest affordable housing opportunity for the area and it will have a major impact on the affordable housing crisis in the area. We plan to begin the construction of 300 affordable homes in 2013, building approximately 40 homes a year.

For more information, contact Overton McGehee, Executive Director, or Lynne Conboy, Chair of the Board at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville at 434-293-9066 or by email at info501@cvillehabitat.org.