Habitat Nantucket with housing lottery winners
(left to right) Elizah Trip, Forest Bell, Shannon Reid, Joe Grause (Habitat), Dennis Reid and daughter, and Gennifer Costanza (Habitat)
photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity Nantucket
(Feb. 4, 2022) – Today, Habitat for Humanity Nantucket announced the winners of their lottery for homes they are currently constructing on Benjamin Drive. The three homes – a single-family and a two-unit duplex – each have two bedrooms and two and a half baths.
The Process
The process began nearly two years ago, as Habitat Nantucket, Housing Nantucket and the Nantucket Housing Authority (NHA) began discussing how to develop the Benjamin Drive property. Habitat had the capacity to build, but no available land. They identified a vacant lot located within the NHA’s Miacoment Village. An easement over one of Housing Nantucket’s affordable rental properties would provide access to the parcel. Habitat took the lead and reopened the comprehensive permit for the development. Subsequently, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved plans for three new dwelling units on the land.
Next, Habitat secured funding from the Affordable Housing Trust. They took additional measures to ensure the dwellings would be included on the Town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), contributing towards “Safe Harbor” 40B status.
Lottery
Sixty-six households submitted applications for a chance to purchase one of the homes. Above all, this illustrated the strong demand for affordable homeownership opportunities within the community. Minority households submitted over 50% of the applications, which well exceeded the targeted 30% identified by the state. Only one applicant did not reside on Nantucket. Anecdotally, this household reported they had moved away and wanted to return to the island.
Eligible households needed to earn less than 80 percent of the area median income- currently $84,150 for a family of four. Consequently, Habitat needed to disqualify many applicants because, despite a dire housing need, they earned above the qualifying income. This narrowed the applicant pool to 27 qualified households, with a preference given to families who could utilize both bedrooms in the home.
Habitat estimates the monthly housing payment (mortgage, taxes, insurance and homeowner association fees) for these homes to be $1,095 per month.
Winning Households
On February 2nd, Habitat held the lottery live on Zoom. However, they withheld the names of the winning households. Meanwhile, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) verified the winners met the SHI list criteria. After that, Habitat reached out to the winners. Once notified, the first name drawn had their choice of all three units; the second name drawn had the choice of the two remaining units; and the third name drawn received the remaining unit.
Next Steps
These modular homes are currently being manufactured off-island. When the homes arrive on Nantucket in May, the owners will contribute 350 hours of fit-out and finish work. The final steps of construction should take four to six months. Finally, the homes should be move in ready by November, just in time for the holidays.
