Scarce land and swollen housing prices have forced Northern Virginia’s affiliate of Habitat for Humanity to push into some new territory: Condos.
Habitat, which builds affordable housing for low-income residents, is the latest victim of a yearslong building boom that reshaped the region. The trend has driven the group onto increasingly smaller plots, said Executive Director Karen Cleveland. The result is two new condo projects on small parcels outside of Fairfax City — a first for Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia.
“We are doing whatever we can do to serve more families,” she said.
The group is now beginning construction on a 12-unit building at the corner of Waples Mills Road and Route 29, and is seeking a rezoning on Monday for another nine-unit project at the opposite corner of the intersection. Both would blend with surrounding condos, Cleveland said.
Like all Habitat homes, they would be sold to families who are within 25 percent to 60 percent of the region’s median income level. Families are given zero-interest mortgages for the cost of building the home, which they also must have a hand in constructing.
The rise in home values has also created a greater need for Habitat’s services, Cleveland said.
“Clearly, in this environment, there are more and more people that are living in substandard housing that we want to help,” she said.
The group has now been forced to purchase properties, which wasn’t necessary with donations five years ago, Cleveland said.
The move to condos by the Northern Virginia chapter, which covers Arlington and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria has been seen in Habitat affiliates all across the country, said Kate Pride Brown, a spokeswoman for Habitat for Humanity International.
“The multi-unit structure has been increasing as the cost of land has gone up, especially in urban areas,” she said.
