With 15 years of proven experience helping low-income families in the area become homeowners, Sunrise represents Habitat’s next big challenge, but also a wonderful opportunity to create a vibrant, well-crafted urban community anchored by quality affordable housing, one that will be met successfully through community-wide collaboration involving our staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners.

Habitat has watched the soaring land values in Greater Charlottesville with alarm.  As lot prices escalated more than four-fold in the past six years, Habitat altered its traditional strategy.  The new strategy recognizes the following realities:  (1) affordable single-family lots are not going to be available now or in the future; (2) truly affordable housing must be near jobs and public transportation; (3) high-density is the only economic model for affordable housing; and (4) mixed-income neighborhoods can make better sustainable communities.

Habitat is currently building its first mixed-income community in Fifeville.  Eight Habitat homes have already been completed and four other homes are currently under construction.  When completed, this community will contain 35 homes, with 18 of those housing Habitat families.  Habitat purchased Sunrise Trailer Park in November 2004 to expand upon its new strategy.  At the time of purchase there were 16 occupied trailers on the premises and those residents were assured that they would be eligible for Habitat home ownership if they qualified or an affordable rental if they did not.

Habitat is committed to the following project goals at Sunrise: (1) create a vibrant mixed income community anchored by affordable units; (2) create meaningful, useful open space; (3) create culturally responsive architecture; (4) celebrate the Sunrise Trailer Court and broader Belmont community; (5) integrate environmentally sustainable practices at all levels of design; (6) make the project “Habitat implement-able”; and (7) promote a sense of ownership through an inclusive design and construction process.

HFHGC recently contracted with KG Associates to manage the development project for us; their efforts will include guiding us through PUD approval, sale of market rate lots, build out of the neighborhood, and creation of HOA documents.  KG Associates is a well respected commercial and residential developer that can effectively and efficiently guide us through this lengthy process. 

Habitat anticipates that it will take approximately 12-18 months to get through the City approval process before construction can begin on this community of up to 60 units of townhomes, apartments, condos, and single family detached homes.  Habitat will be including a proffer of 25% affordable units while also building up to eight affordable rental units.

Our board chair Lynne Conboy summarizes in the following, “Sunrise is starting the final push to becoming a reality.  The process has been lengthy but we have tried to be diligent in our efforts to learn as much as possible about what will make this a successful community, financially as well as functionally. 

We will move to our Sunrise development positioned to make a significant impact on the number of affordable housing units available in different income levels in this community.  Sunrise has captured the imagination of many, from the early donors that made this possible to the 163 architects who entered the design competition, and on to the talented professional and volunteers in our community who have given their time.  We are ready to move to the next phase full of excitement and confidence as we work together to build what we hope will become a model for trailer park redevelopment throughout the country.”