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Operation Better Block seeks $150,000 to build a model manufactured home for Homewood
Summary
Operation Better Block asked for $150,000 to construct a manufactured model home the group says could be sold at about $250,000 and used as a marketing and catalytic tool to spur additional for-sale and mixed-income supply in Homewood and other neighborhoods.
Operation Better Block’s executive director Jay Gilmore told the advisory board his group requests $150,000 to complete a model manufactured home and open it for tours within a year as a marketing tool to demonstrate an attainable homeownership option in Homewood. Jay said the model is a three-bedroom, two-bath, single-story home that could be sold for about $250,000 on an unsubsidized basis and that the model would be moved to a permanent site and sold to a buyer. "The end result our the goal is to get this house able to be purchased for $250,000 and an unsubsidized basis," he said.
Jay argued the single model could catalyze additional production and attract buyers who do not need subsidies, thereby filling a missing middle in the local housing market and enabling more subsidized units to be targeted to households that need them most. Board members pressed for budget and site details; Jay said the $150,000 request covers the cost of the house and getting it to Pittsburgh and to a temporary site, while the $250,000 sale price includes site and permitting costs. He said partial awards would still have some impact and that some lots are already owned or could be leased for the model.
