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Habitat for Humanity requests $95,000 subsidy for modular four‑bedroom home; project to remain in floodplain with mitigation plan
Summary
Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland counties sought $95,000 to subsidize construction of a permanently affordable four‑bed home at 610 West Court Street, part of a seven‑home pipeline that includes two modular builds; Habitat confirmed floodplain location and described foundation and mitigation steps.
Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland counties presented a funding request of $95,000 for one permanently affordable, four‑bedroom, two‑bath home at 610 West Court Street. Shannon McCarrick, executive director, told the IURA the affiliate is pursuing seven projects this year and that the West Court house and one other are modular builds intended to speed construction timelines.
Affordability model and buyers: Habitat explained its pricing model caps sales at roughly 30 percent of buyer household income over a 30‑year mortgage; the affiliate retains land through a community land trust model (buyers purchase improvements and receive a 99‑year renewable lease on land). Habitat said the buyers selected for 610 West Court are a family of six with four children who have been attempting to become homeowners for eight years and meet the affiliate’s affordability targets.
Construction, costs and floodplain: McCarrick said the site lies within the city’s proposed updated floodplain maps. Habitat said it plans a poured concrete foundation and to place utilities and mechanical systems above the flood elevation; the affiliate also said it has successfully obtained Letters of Map Amendment (LOMA) in previous projects to eliminate flood insurance requirements in some cases. Habitat said it has rerun affordability worksheets with a range of possible flood‑insurance costs and that the project remains affordable to households at 80 percent AMI under those scenarios. The presentation noted that costs—land acquisition, construction and mortgage interest rates—have increased and that the request for $95,000 reflects current market and financing conditions.
Workforce and program details: Habitat said buyers complete 350 hours of sweat equity and that modular construction does not remove volunteer or finishing work: buyers still perform trim, landscaping and other tasks, and they will earn remaining hours on other Habitat projects. The house will include a heat pump; Habitat said the affiliate has shifted to heat‑pump systems across builds to meet energy and stretch‑code goals.
Questions from IURA members touched on sweat equity with modular construction (Habitat said buyers would complete on‑site finishing and work on other Habitat builds), flood insurance and the project budget line items (Habitat clarified $26,000 for excavation and foundation with the remaining $69,000 for modular components, totaling $95,000 in requested IURA construction subsidy). Habitat said it will continue to pursue lower‑cost financing products for buyers but that interest rates are currently higher than prior products that are no longer available.
Next steps: Habitat said the project is in preconstruction and that the affiliate will proceed with municipal permitting and construction planning if funding and site approvals proceed. Habitat’s request will be considered alongside other entitlement requests by IURA staff and the board.
