The Foundation for Norfolk Living has long worked to create a 10-house affordable housing development off Old Colony Road. Now it has the opportunity to add an 11th home nearby.
Foundation president Kate Briggs Johnson said, “The Foundation owns a single lot at the base of Haystack Mountain and we want to put a modular house on it. We’re just drawing it all together. It has not been officially permitted yet.”
While the 10 houses in the Haystack Woods complex have been designed to produce as much energy as they use, this new house will not be “net zero,” according to Johnson.
The Foundation for Norfolk Living is one of four Northwest Connecticut nonprofits joining in the Litchfield County Affordable Homeownership Program. Construction of this single affordable home in Norfolk and those in other towns belonging to the program, is funded through the Connecticut Department of Housing as well as through town and non-profit contributions. Program facilitation and construction loans are being provided through Capital for Change.
It is expected that the Norfolk house will be constructed in the fall or winter.
The program and application process were described at a Zoom meeting held last week to describe the program and the application process. Applicants’ total gross annual household income must be at or below 100 percent of the Litchfield County Area Median Income ($80,000 for one person up to $132,500 for six persons). Applicants must have had no ownership interest in a principal residence during the previous three years. There will be a strong preference for households of three or more people.
The homes are three-bedroom, Cape-style structures and will sell for between $250,000 and $280,000, including a forgivable downpayment assistance loan of approximately $25,000. Purchasers will own the building, but the land under it will be owned by the local housing non-profit and leased to the homeowner.
“This is called shared equity,” Jocelyn Ayers, director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunities, told those attending the Zoom meeting. Each house costs about $500,000 to construct, about twice the selling price.
Those wishing to apply can download and complete the pre-application form here and submit it by emailing project manager Lindsay Larson.