Project breaks ground on Suter Street for 21 affordable homes

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - The hope for affordable housing is slowly becoming a reality, one neighborhood at a time. The Friendly City Development, a partnership between the Central Valley Habitat of Humanity and P.D.Y. LLC, a private developer, has broken ground for the Suter Street project to build new homes.

This project is part of a goal that has been years in the making.

“It’s about the families that’ll be here. It’s about building families in Harrisonburg, providing opportunities for immigrants, and for working class; and what we’re building here is not really just housing. What we’re building here is community,” Suter Street Project Partner Phil Yutzy said.

The Suter Street project aims to help level the chances for anyone to become a homeowner. Construction is supported by a $375 thousand dollar grant from the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission.

CDPDC said they had seven projects to use $1.66 million of funding to provide gap funds to various affordable housing development efforts. This plan checked off a lot of boxes on what they were looking for.

“We wanted to see a mix of rental and ownership, projects that were connected to the communities they were in and had access to amenities — different sizes, allowing for different family types and income levels,” CDPDC Housing Program Manager Olivia Raines said.

The Suter Street project plans for 21 homes, 10 of which will be for sale at 20 percent below the appraisal rate. Officials hope 11 homes are ready in the next year and a half.

Copyright 2023 WHSV. All rights reserved.