Hometown Habitat News

A first for Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter: an age-restricted community

The Cottages at Heritage Grove Master Plan

TAVARES – Habitat for Humanity will be building a “pocket neighborhood” for homeowners who are 55 and older.

“It’s the first time we are building an age-restricted community,” said Lacie Himes, development director for Habitat for Humanity of Lake-Sumter.

The site, which has been cleared and infrastructure installed, is in an area behind the Dunkin’ doughnut shop on State Road 19. It was once occupied by mobile homes, and it remains

surrounded by seniors living in mobile homes and a portion of the Dora Canal.

An application workshop will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday (April 20) at the Leesburg Resource Center in Leesburg on County Road 468. Applicants must be on a fixed income, and that income must fall under the requirements of the program.

“There is a need for affordable housing for this population,” Himes said, and Tavares recognized it, too.

It will be called The Cottages at Heritage Grove.

Construction on the first home is expected to begin in May. The organization hopes to be building two houses at a time.

Part of Habitat’s practice is to have the new homeowners participate in the construction with what it calls “sweat equity.” That might look different in the case of the seniors, depending upon their physical condition. They may end up volunteering in the office or thrift store, but opportunities will be available on site, too, she said.

Click here to read the full article by Frank Stanfield for the Daily Commercial