For only one dollar, a Houston-based developer is taking on the task of building eight new homes in Birmingham’s historic Smithfield neighborhood.
Kevan Shelton, the CEO of Park Street Homes, and his team say buying the property for that price ensures affordability.
“This is how we create homeownership and affordable homeownership through partnering with the public entities and cities to give the subsidy that then bridges that gap,” Shelton said.
Smithfield isn’t the only neighborhood seeing affordable single-family house construction.
Right now, you’ll find new houses or developments underway in Ensley’s Oak Hill area, where 27 homes are going up.
Woodlawn has 16 new units in the development stages near the i3 Academy school.
Shadow Brook Village in Pratt City will eventually see 52 new homes.
“A lot of citizens may have seen many lots being cleared, and so our goal is to make sure we put those lots back in good standing and put homes on those lots,” said Cory Stallworth, Birmingham’s deputy director of community development.
He said homes will be worth $150,000 to $220,000, which he believes will attract potential homeowners at every income level.
“We take any interested applicant through a process of connecting them to a Realtor, connecting them to a lender to help them buy the home, as well as getting them counseling so that they can have their education on how to make it through the process, as well as how to maintain a home,” Stallworth said.
Even if home means building a modern, charming single-story, single-car garage home in historic Smithfield.
“So you’ll have natural elements, you’ll have shutters, lots of glass, lots of windows, one story,” Smithfield said.
Park Street Home developers for the Smithfield site say construction should start in the fall.
The city of Birmingham said as of now, it has 250 people in the pipeline interested in buying an affordable home.
