City houses on schedule
By Anessa Myers
Published in News on February 18, 2008 1:49 PM
Three of the homes being constructed as part of a downtown revitalization effort in the 400 block of South John Street are getting closer to being ready for families, city officials say.
The houses aren't completed yet, but they should be by the first week in June, Downtown Goldsboro Develop-ment Director Julie Thompson said.
And the city and Self-Help are trying to make the financial stress of buying a home a little easier by providing incentives such as payments as low as $575 a month and available down payment assistance up to $35,000.
As part of the city's neighborhood revitalization efforts, Goldsboro and the DGDC joined with Preservation North Carolina and Self-Help to bring affordable housing -- and hopefully new families -- to Goldsboro.
Just two months ago, construction on the homes began, and onlookers can already start to see what the homes will look like.
Soon, three families will have a new, safe, secure and beautiful place to live.
The three homes will be designed to look like historic houses in the area that were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They also will be built with the same materials to give the neighborhood a uniform look.
Each home will have a covered front porch, three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They will range from 1,096 to 1,258 square feet and will have an open floor plan.
Basic appliances and a built-in security system will be included in the home sales. Some have design options available.
The project is part of the Comprehensive Historic Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which addresses the need to create single-family, owner-occupied homes in a neighborhood of "blight, distress and decline." The idea is to make the area a more attractive and safer place to live.
These homes are geared toward "people that want to live in a historical neighborhood that might not be able to afford buying a large historical house and fixing it up," Mrs. Thompson said.
"The homes are perfect for families that want to live in a traditional neighborhood that have never bought a home before," she added.
Mrs. Thompson said three potential buyers have already contacted her and are very interested in purchasing the homes.
To qualify for these homes, there are a few stipulations -- you must be a first-time homebuyer or someone who hasn't owned a home in the past three years, and your household income must not exceed a certain income limit.
For a household of one, the income limit is $26,400. For two people, the limit is $30,150. For three, four and five people in the household, the limits are $33,950, $40,700 and $43,750.
Self-Help, Rebuilding Broken Places and Habitat for Humanity are holding a meeting for city employees interested in the homes Tuesday in the Mayor's Conference Room at City Hall Annex from 8:30 until 10 a.m. and at the City of Goldsboro Maintenance Complex from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Those who aren't city employees but would like more information should call 866-365-3488.