‘Workforce housing’ project soon to unveil first home near Tacoma’s Blueberry Park
The Preserve, a new housing development near Charlotte’s Blueberry Park, is nearing the unveiling of its first model home, with more on the way.
The developers say that the neighborhood’s first model home has a targeted completion date for late November.
According to Michael Pressnall, co-founder of Green Harbor Communities, the hope is buyers can start looking at the model home the week of Nov. 25, with a grand opening for the entire neighborhood in spring.
Pressnall discussed progress on the project in a phone interview with The News Tribune.
The goal is to have the first three or four cottages completed by the end of the year, and the shells started on 10 additional cottages. Once spring and summer kick in, they aim to be working on another 40 homes and then start work on the final lots by fall.
With this week’s announcement, Pressnall says it now feels like “we’re on a rocket ship in a good way with everything happening.”
The homes, now expected to be priced below $275,000, will be in the first “Net Zero Ready” development in Tacoma, in a partnership with the Department of Energy, according to the developers.
“Net Zero Ready” development is defined by the Department of Energy as “a high performance home which is so energy efficient that a renewable energy system can offset all or most of its annual energy consumption.” There also will be four-year home warranties on all the cottages through a partnership with a warranty service provider.
The development initially gained attention with its announcement in December that it would offer cottages, which range from 950-1,250 square feet and priced below $300,000 for households earning $75,000 or less.
Green Harbor’s plan is to bring affordable housing to Tacoma through its leasehold program. That involves signing a 99-year lease with the homeowner, with auto-renewal of another 99 years to encourage individuals to create legacy properties passed on through generations and to keep owners from buying in low and selling high.
The neighborhood’s design keeps the site’s tree canopy at 70 percent and also preserves 22 acres of wetlands.
Various tweaks to open the program to more buyers has loosened some of the income restrictions to take into consideration medical and educational expenses, child care and child support. It’s also opened to not just those working within a 15-mile radius and is open to retirees looking to relocate.
The developers spoke to The News Tribune in August about the issues and progress they hoped to make in the coming months.
Progress this year was hampered by on-site theft and trespassers in the dense woods that surround the site. That was compounded by a shortage of construction workers in the area.
On Wednesday, Pressnall said they’ve now secured the site where work is happening.
The developers also have researched other cities to see where they could introduce their Tacoma workforce housing model.
“What GHC is doing in Tacoma is creating a model for the nation,” Pressnall said. “As of today, 50 cities are receiving folders.”
