Date: Fri 02-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

Habitat-for-Humanity

Full Text:

Town Conveys Land For `Habitat' Project

B Y A NDREW G OROSKO

Members of the Newtown Local Housing Partnership are looking forward to the

construction of two owner-occupied affordable houses on Philo Curtis Road in

Sandy Hook, a project which the group initiated six years ago.

Partnership members met Wednesday to discuss planning for the housing

construction, which will be supervised by Housatonic Habitat for Humanity

(HHH).

Partnership member Joseph Humeston said the transfer of town land to HHH for

the housing was scheduled for Thursday. HHH will then obtain building permits

necessary for the construction of the first house, he said. Ground-breaking

ceremonies are tentatively scheduled for May 18.

Partnership members elected Mr Humeston chairman of the agency Wednesday and

named Rev Steve Gordon vice chairman.

Mr Humeston announced that Claire Slattery, a single mother, and her two

children will live in the first house to be built.

"She's an outstanding individual," Mr Humeston said.

HHH will provide financial guidance to Ms Slattery in connection with her

taking ownership of the new house.

A family to live in the second house has yet to be chosen.

The two houses to be built will be 1,200 square feet in area. One will be a

ranch-style house and the other will probably be farmhouse-style.

Each house will have three bedrooms and either one bathroom or one-and-a-half

bathrooms.

Construction of the first house by volunteer labor is expected to take 24 to

28 weeks, Mr Humeston said.

Many people have cooperated in the effort to get affordable housing built

locally, Mr Humeston said. Attorney Bill Denlinger donated legal services and

engineer Alan Shepard donated engineering services.

Besides serving as a partnership member, Mr Humeston is a HHH member.

Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker pointed out that when the

families move into the affordable housing, the town will receive increased

road grants from the state. The state offers the increased road grants to

towns as an incentive to create affordable housing.

Last September, Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members approved a

two-lot subdivision on Philo Curtis Road for the construction of two

owner-occupied, single-family houses for low-and moderate-income families. The

land is on the west side of Philo Curtis Road, just south of that road's

intersection with Riverside Road.

The longstanding drive to build affordable housing has been delayed by a

variety of obstacles, the most recent of which was a lawsuit filed by property

owners adjacent to the development site who were seeking to block the project.

That lawsuit was recently settled.

HHH is an independent, non-profit affiliate of the international Christian

housing ministry Habitat for Humanity based in Americus, Georgia. Volunteers

and low-income families work together using tax-deductible donations of money

and materials to build new homes. Volunteers, churches, businesses and civic

groups donate or help raise funds to purchase materials, tools, services and

labor.

Houses are sold at no profit to families, and no-interest mortgages are issued

over a fixed period. The cost of the homes built is significantly lower than

market value. The small monthly mortgage payments made by participating

families support continuing construction. Homeowners volunteer their labor to

build the home they will live in, according to HHH.

The new homeowner makes a one percent down payment and contributes 400 hours

of "sweat equity" toward the project.

Fairfield Hills

In another affordable housing matter, partnership members want the state to

designate as "affordable housing" several Fairfield Hills houses that it plans

to sell.

The state owns five compact houses on the west side of Mile Hill Road South,

between Mile Hill Road and Cochran Street.

The partnership wants the state to place deed restrictions on those houses so

they can only be sold as affordable housing.

"They'd be great little starter houses," Rev Gordon said.

Each house contains about 1,500 square feet of space, Mr Humeston said.

Mr Humeston said it would have been good if the partnership could have gotten

the state to designate Watertown Hall at Fairfield Hills as affordable

housing. The town has accepted that 32,000-square-foot building from the

state. The town is studying possible uses for it. The apartment building

formerly was used as a dormitory by Fairfield Hills workers.

But, Mr Humeston pointed out there will be substantial costs in remodeling

Watertown Hall.

The partnership should attempt to acquire some type of affordable housing at

Fairfield Hills, he stressed.

Partnership members Thomas Paisley said he will discuss designating the houses

at Fairfield Hills as affordable housing with First Selectman Robert Cascella

and possibly State Rep Julia Wasserman.