For the week of February 12-18, 2003

Affordable housing unit arranged for Deer Creek

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By GREG MOORE
Express Staff Writer

An approximately 1,400-square-foot, three-bedroom house will be moved from Hulen Meadows to the new Deer Valley Farms Subdivision and be available for a reduced price as an affordable housing unit.

The Blaine County Commissioners approved a final plat for the 11-lot subdivision along Deer Creek Road on Monday. Developers John Scherer and Charlie Holt agreed to provide one unit of deed-restricted community housing as a means of mitigating the impact on the community of the employees that will be needed by the subdivision’s homeowners.

Blaine-Ketchum Housing Authority Director Dick Duncan said in an interview that the Hulen Meadows house is being sold to the developers at a low price. He said the owner plans to begin construction on a new house by April, and the existing house should be moved and ready to inhabit by June.

"It’s a really cute house," he said.

Duncan said the tan-colored, wood-sided house was built in the late 60s or early 70s, and has been remodeled since. He said it has hardwood floors, rough wood-sided interior walls and a large stone fireplace. He said the plan is to move the fireplace with the house, though it’s not certain that that can be done.

The house has two bathrooms and a two-car garage.

During the commissioners’ meeting Monday, Scherer said the house would sell for between $141,000 and $157,000. Duncan said the details of a deed restriction on resale price are still being negotiated, but that the usual ceiling is an annual rise in value of 5 percent per year or market inflation, whichever is lower.

Duncan said that under housing authority guidelines, eligibility ceilings for a buyer are an annual income of $48,950 for a family of three and $54,400 for a family of four. A buyer will be chosen based on a point system that includes length of residence in Blaine County and number of children in the family. If there is a tie in points, the winner will be chosen by lottery.

For information or an application to get on the authority’s master list of prospective buyers, contact the authority at 726-5509.

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