Mountainlands Community Housing Trust will unveil six new townhomes as part of its Parkview Place affordable housing project on Southfield Road in Heber Aug. 11.
The subdivision includes 49 lots, a community garden and a public park. Construction began in 2017.
Participants build the homes together through what Mountainlands called a “mutual self-help program.”
Executive Director Jason Glidden said each household contributes 30 hours of construction work per week, including at least 15 hours completed by the future homeowner.
“The participants we’ve had are just so gracious and excited for their home,” Glidden said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” July 31. “They're excited to learn more about how to build a home, and it really gave them a lot of you know background how to maintain their home because they actually built it, so we see a lot of value in that.”
Applicants must earn less than 80% of the area median income (AMI). Mountainlands said, for a single person in Wasatch County, that limit is around $76,000.
Glidden said income is only one factor in the selection process. The organization also reviews applicants’ credit, income, debt and ability to secure a mortgage. It prioritizes workers who serve the community, including teachers, firefighters and medical professionals.
He said participants purchase the home, not the land.
“What they do is pay a monthly lease fee on that land,” Glidden said. “And so what that does is takes the land cost out of the purchase price, which allows for the price of the actual home to come down, and so that’s a model that’s actually becoming very, very popular in the state of Utah.”
Glidden said these leases range from $50 to $100 per month.
Mountainlands does not finance the homes, he said. Instead, applicants secure their own funding and must show proof of financing before they can break ground.
Eighteen lots will remain after the Aug. 11 ceremony. The nonprofit plans to begin construction on another six homes this fall and is seeking applicants for the next phase.
Anyone interested can contact Mountainlands at mcht@housinghelp.org.
