Addison County Community Trust and Cathedral Square are helping to turn what was a blighted mobile home park into a net zero energy rental community that will provide new affordable and environmentally friendly housing options for local residents. Below is coverage of this story from MyChamplainValley.com:
Vermonters are facing a shortage when it comes to affordable housing. Leaving some families with limited living options. But soon, new affordable housing is coming to Addison County, and it’s also environmentally friendly. Today was demolition day of the old Gevry Mobile Home Park in Waltham, making way for the new McKnight Lane neighborhood. A once forgotten neighborhood outside the city of Vergennes has been empty for six years. And on Wednesday the Gevry Mobile Home Park began its new life. Katie Forleo of Cathedral Square says: “Cathedral Square and ACCT… are collaborating to redevelop this mobile home park.” Forleo works for the non-profit Cathedral Square and says this project is in phase one, and fourteen homes will be removed and will eventually make way for the McKnight Lane neighborhood. “There is going to be fourteen high performance modular homes and they are all being manufactured in the state of Vermont.” says Forleo The total cost of the redevelopment? Three and half million dollars. Forleo says “There will be a mix of two and three bedroom homes. And it will all be afford able housing for families, which is filling a void within this community.” Addison County lacks in available affordable housing for families, and the construction of McKnight Lane could be a small step in the right direction. Chris Falk of Cathedral Square says: “Within months this place will look beautiful.” Falk says a lot has to be done before the first model home arrives June 27th? First they have to remove all the debris. Next will come remediation of any contaminates in the soil “All the material used in the units are going to be sustainable, such as bamboo flooring. We will have a sidewalk in place that will let the residence walk into town.” says Falk The goal is to become a net zero neighborhood by powering the homes from renewable energy sources that net a zero dollar annual energy cost. The completion of the McKnight neighborhood is scheduled for the end of this November.
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