On the north side of Hub City Village, the houses will have lofts. The model is called “Magnolia.”
Every once in a while, bike rides around Albany take me past 241 Waverly Drive S.E., where the Creating Housing Coalition is building 27 “tiny houses” in a compound it calls Hub City Village.
I stopped there on Dec. 16 to take a few photos of the units under construction.
One thing that was immediately clear is that, while these units are very small compared to the average house, they are not all that “tiny.” The interior of the unit I checked out had plenty of room to walk around in, 10 paces front to back and five paces across.
The actual dimensions of the units, Coalition President Stacey Bartholomew reminded me, are 12 by 26 feet. The Magnolia model has a loft in addition.
The builders working on this $4.7 million development hope to have construction finished in March. In an email on Dec. 19, Bartholomew told me: “We’re moving forward on the last of the Magnolias and the storm water system as well as working on (the) inside (of) buildings as you have probably seen.”
Here are photos from my visit to the site last Saturday.
One of the lofted “Magnolia” units.
Hub City units in various stages of completion.
These have been painted. Looks like it will be a colorful village.
How the space inside one of the units will be divided.
This is the community’s resident center, facing Waverly Drive.
The project has been funded from grants and donations and is still raising money. On its Facebook page, Creating Housing Coalition says it is partnering with the Sybaris restaurant on a fundraiser planned for Jan. 21.
Hub City Village has a website with lots of interesting information about the development, including drawings of the five different house models and floor plans.
One item on the site is particularly intriguing. It says the landscaping will be “mostly edible.” That should cut down on the cost of mowing. (hh)
The Coalition has done their homework in order to create a functional village for those in need of this type of housing and services. The website is quite informative. Well done, Coalition!
Many thanks for the update!
That equals $174,000 per unit so this is a farce! And that undoubtedly does not cover all the costs.
Why is it a “farce” exactly? This is a well planned, well researched, mindfully funded project to assist in a very clear community need. What are you objecting to here? Helping people or?
Why don’t you just buy private homes if you’re going to waste that kind of money? How much do modular homes cost of that size? In 15 years they will be tearing down those units or completely rehabbing them.
What are the qualifications of residents, and how will they be chosen?
I think what the company is doing to create this Hub City is a miraculous wonder and is perfect for those who are in need. The Lord laid His hands on these workers to comp
lete the project. Great job, guys!!
i think it is a wonderful idea. my prediction.. the number of residents will be quickly replaced by new homeless people. we will not see any less homeless people in albany. i can not imagine that at all.
Too bad they decided to put the two story ones with upper windows right next to the property line so they look right down in all the neighbors previously private backyards. Would have been more neighborly to put those on the other side of the lot.
Thank you Hasso for the update! I hope you will be able to take a tour on the 21st. The cost of each house is similar to a full-size home because each house has to be permitted, have infrastructure, and all the accommodations like a regular home. We also have to follow regulations of the grants like other granted developments. This development actually costs about 1/3 the cost of two other “affordable housing” developments in the area that are building apartment buildings. These have several features that will make them last longer than the average home and it runs on a cooperative model as noted on our website! Even though this village will not solve homelessness in Albany, it is one piece of the multi-pronged approach needed. We believe that doing nothing is not an option and that Albany will be a better community when we treat each other with dignity. Come see for yourself!
It would be better if the city did not “help” people lose their homes and jobs. You funding mongers give false hope to people in need and abuse the system. Your multi-prong approach just drags out their suffering and long term homelessness. Tooting your own horn is adding insult to injury.