Foundation For Norfolk Living Plans To Build First House This Year

By Barbara Gridley & Elizabeth Potter
Thanks to the generosity of the Norfolk Land Group, Inc. and its partners, The Foundation for Norfolk Living is soon to start building the first home in support of its mission to create housing opportunities in Norfolk for people of modest means.
The foundation has been promised six lots that will be part of a mixed income development of twenty-two single family homes on a 44 acre site on Old Colony Road, adjacent to the town garage. Pending approval by the town’s Planning and Zoning (P&Z) and Inlands Wetlands Commissions, the foundation plans to start construction on the first of its six homes this summer. Building on the land will be consistent with land usage criteria laid out in the town’s Conservation Development zoning regulation, which, in part, requires well-planned open space and permits higher density building in the interests of better land use and conservation.
The foundation’s house plans are now being completed with the help of board member and architect Kate Johnson. The goal is to have each of the homes vary slightly in appearance, but to have them all approximately 1,500 to 1,600 square feet in size, with a one car garage. The homes will be as energy efficient and “green” as possible. All the homes will have direct access to town sewer and water lines. The tasteful but practical design, in part, is intended to help assure the sustainability of ownership for a buyer earning approximately 80% of Norfolk’s median income or income in the range of $60,000 to $70,000 per year.
The foundation’s owner selection criteria will be used to help choose families or individuals from a non-discriminatory set of qualifications. Ownership of the foundation homes will be on a shared equity basis, with the foundation owning the land and the homebuyer owning the house. The house will be sold with deed and other restrictions to assure that the home is properly maintained and to keep it affordable in perpetuity.
Current plans for Norfolk’s first affordable home carry an estimated $248,000 in construction costs. The foundation is working to reduce those costs so that its gap financing (the difference between the total cost of construction and an affordable sale price of approximately $175,000) will be in the range of $50,000 to $70,000. The group will be undertaking a major fund-raising drive to cover the gap financing requirement, with a focus on private solicitations, donations of materials and grants. No state or federal funding will be sought for the first home.

“The entire board is excited and gratified to be in the position of building its first home,” says Foundation President Lou Barbagallo. “We remain optimistic that the Norfolk community will join us in moving ahead with this important project.”
The Foundation For Norfolk Living, Inc. is a charitable, non-profit organization incorporated in 2005 by a group of Norfolk residents. Any donations are welcomed. The group continues to benefit from guidance of the Connecticut Housing Coalition, and recently retained an experienced non-profit housing development consultant to guide it through the process of construction.