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Published on: 2/18/2008
Last Visited: 2/18/2008
The organization has worked with for-profit builders to construct about 60 homes since its inception in 1995, executive director Louise Mack said.
About one in five of Prosperity Unlimited's clients purchase a home developed by the organization, with the rest settling in other neighborhoods after going through its series of classes.
By accessing resources such as government down-payment assistance and ensuring clients take out sound loans, Prosperity Unlimited uses housing as an economic development tool to revitalize communities, Mack said.
"We have focused on housing, but the housing has always been an economic stimulus," Mack said.
Prosperity Unlimited recently launched two new projects, Prosperity Village near Kannapolis Intermediate School and Prosperity Ridge off Little Texas Road.Before that, its largest single project consisted of 19 units near its office on Garnett Street.
In Prosperity Village, located in the Happy Hollow neighborhood, Mack's organization is already building four new houses and plans to add about 20 more.
In Prosperity Ridge, Mack's plans call for Prosperity Unlimited and a for-profit builder to construct 50 houses, incorporating natural land contours to save on grading costs and preserving about 20 percent of the development's 18 acres for green space.
Reserving 40 percent of those lots for houses under $190,000, Prosperity will aim for a market segment of $140,000 to $190,000, slightly more expensive than its usual target of $110,000 to $120,000.
Houses should be on the ground by summer, Mack said.
In both Prosperity Village and Prosperity Ridge, Mack intends to utilize environmentally-friendly features.
Examples could include passive and active solar technology, a special type of concrete that doesn't divert as much storm water, and energy efficiency certification.
It would've been quicker, easier and likely cheaper to follow the model of clear-cutting and traditional construction, Mack said.
But she and her for-profit partner, whom she declined to name, want to show that it's possible to build with innovative methods in an affordable manner, Mack said.
"It's just where the world is going right now," Mack said.