Building Innovation for Homeownership
Award Winners: Maine

PROJECT: Pine Ridge, South Paris, Maine

SUBMITTER: Dennis Lajoie, Community Concepts, South Paris, Maine

PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This development of 10 homes on a rural site in Maine has a number of innovative features that reduce costs and encourage good land management. The site plan uses a cluster arrangement that groups the homes close together, allowing the remainder of the parcel to be held in common as undeveloped woods. This gives the clustered homes a buffer against future development. The cluster scheme also results in savings on site development and infrastructure costs. The 10 houses are modular units that arrived at the site approximately 90% complete. Pine Ridge offers a variety of house styles-- capes, ranches, and colonials. The buildings are sited to take advantage of solar exposure in enhancing daylighting and heating. Developed by a nonprofit agency, homes in Pine Ridge are offered for an average of $61,500, which is .72 of median for new home construction in this region. A program allows buyers to put down as little as $1,000 for a fixed-rate mortgage, and housing prices are subsidized from $17,000 to $45,000 according to the income and need of the buyers. The town supported the development in the form of a grant for infrastructure and waived permit fees. There is also an �Ownership Readiness� program that assists buyers in the financing process, helps families to budget, and to take care of their homes.

PROJECT PARTICIPANTS: Community Concepts, Inc. (Matthew M. Smith, Dennis J. Lajoie, Debbie Trenoweth, Linda Dube); Community Development Services (Tom Lewis, Joseph Ponzetti); Main State Housing Authority (Tom McDonald, David Lakeri, director, Kim Leopold); Keiser Homes (Ed Keiser, Todd Truman, Ray Atkisson); Norway Savings Bank (Ross Tardiff, Bill Satchel); Searles Excavation (Gary Searles); Town of Paris (John White).