Robbinsville – The Graham County Rural Development Authority is putting the finishing touches on Azalea Hill – an affordable housing development off Moose Branch Road – with lots being made available in the next couple of months.
Streets are in, and a guard rail and grass planting nearing completion. A website is under development that will provide information and application information about the development.
Ground was broken on the Rural Development Authority Moose Branch Subdivision Project in October. The development has been planned since 2014 and will include 13 slabs for low- to moderate-income homes within the 11.88-acre development site.
Students in Robbinsville High School’s carpentry program will be enlisted to help build the houses, similar to a project off of Fort Hill that was constructed in the 1970s.
A lot will be selected for the first building project that will get the ball rolling, members of the authority board said during a meeting on Feb. 16.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development contributed $369,500 for the subdivision, augmented by a $470,000 grant from the Dogwood Health Trust.
The site has undergone preparation since October, including grading and contouring, with more work planned after the winter lull.
“We see this as probably going to be a blend of our direct loan and the guaranteed loan program,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Area Director Pamela Hysong back in October. “This is the time if people are interested – the ones who want the direct loan – it would be a good time for them to maybe start working with us at least on a pre-application; let us look at their credit.
“If they have some credit issues, we can tell them how to address them prior to actually applying for a loan with us, but we’re really excited about this getting started, because there’s not much affordable housing that’s available.”
The maximum lending amount from the program is $285,000. Income limits for the direct loan program are $46,000 for families of 1-4 and $61,800 for families of 5-8.
The income limits for the program are $91,900 for families of one to four and $121,300 for families of five to eight.
The project was first conceived by the Town of Robbinsville, but eventually went to the Rural Development Authority.