On Monday, July 10, TJPDC and Virginia Housing staff performed site visits at Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville’s Southwood Development. As a part of Virginia Housing’s PDC Housing Development grant, a total of 12 homes in the development used funding awarded to TJPDC to pay for construction materials and labor. The houses include nine single-family attached homes and three affordable condo units. These units will generate affordable housing for those earning less than 60% Area Median Income (AMI), with most falling between 25-40% AMI. The Southwood project, while open to any applicant in the service area interested in purchasing a home in Southwood, prioritizes selection of current Southwood residents to fulfill a non-displacement commitment to the community. The majority of Southwood residents self-report as LatinX and the community is almost exclusively low-income, with most households earning between 15% and 60% of the AMI.
As a part of the $2 million grant from Virginia Housing, the TJPDC was expected to fund at least 20 new affordable units. Currently 10 units have been completed, and as the funded units in Southwood receive their certificates of occupancy over the coming months, the TJPDC should meet that goal around two years before Virginia Housing’s deadline, with around 140 more units still to be completed.