Private developers ready to break ground on affordable housing to the Outer Banks
MORE LOCAL LINKS FROM WAVY |
MORE NEWS FROM YOUR REGION |
Sun, surf, and sand. There's plenty to be found along North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Affordable homes? That's another story.
Chuck Poe, Executive Director with the Outer Banks Community Development Corporation, said, "The reality was, people came here because of the ocean. They ended up working two or three jobs to stay here. It became no way to live."
In Dare County, the average home sells for $355,000.
Some say 'for sale' signs don't offer much hope for the everyday joe. The median income for a family of four stands at just under $58,000.
That's where Derek and Kristi Stallings step in.
On a one-and-a-half acre plot in Kill Devil Hills on Corrigan Street, next to an elementary school and nature trails, twenty townhomes will soon be under construction.
The price tag on 15 of the properties, $170,000 each.
Five units will be sold for market price, each at $225,000.
These prices are made possible with the help of the Outer Banks CDC and local leaders.
"When we first started, we did an affordable housing study to actually measure the magnitude of the problem. Interestingly enough, about 70 percent of the 35,000 people who live here year-round fit into the need category," Poe said.
Kristi Stallings said, "It makes it impossible for our people that are serving this county to be able to afford to live here."
There are rules to buy, like an income requirement, a max for a family of four is $84,000, as well as getting a background check.
Private developers, like the Stallings, are the first to take action. Dare County leaders hope its just a start.
"This is what it's gonna take. It's gonna take people to step up to the plate," Warren Judge, Dare County Board of Commissioners Chairman.
Groundbreaking is set for July 30th. The first townhomes could be move-in ready by the winter.
Blogged with Flock
No comments:
Post a Comment