Newest Habitat Project to Begin Near Spear Street
by Edd Merritt,
January 12, 2012, page 9.....

Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity is finishing its third house on Greenbush Road across from the Old Lantern. No sooner did taping and painting of interior walls near completion, then plans for construction of a neighborhood at the north end of Charlotte began. It is a three-house plus one duplex subdivision on Albert’s Way off Spear Street behind the Gecewicz property, offered by Allan and Trudi Jordan. Albert’s Way is named after Trudi’s father, Albert Gecewicz.
According to Habitat’s Director of Advancement, Sara Munro, the houses will “sit on a unique location.” They will be next to conserved lands that abut the Mud Hollow Brook. Munro says that, while the site rests only minutes from Burlington, unlike inner city or suburban projects “it has a decidedly rural feel.”
Habitat has made two payments toward the cost of the land and has received a $30,000 grant from Charlotte’s Housing Trust Fund to support the project over the next two years.
Like the homes constructed by Habitat at the south end of Charlotte, these, too, will incorporate techniques that create a high degree of energy efficiency, according to Dave Mullin, Habitat’s Executive Director. He says that through the use of Vermont’s changing building codes and the latest technology, they expect to be able to lower energy costs by as much as 50 to 80 percent.
Albert’s Way will be Green Mountain Habitat’s fourth subdivision project. Once selected, the families who will occupy these homes can begin to build up their sweat equity. Working on their future homes is an excellent way for soon-to-be homeowners not only to contribute to the construction of their future dwelling, but also, Mullin notes, to create community connections.
Habitat expects to begin the family selection process this spring so that building may start by early summer. Five families will live in the houses and duplex. Habitat hopes to have the neighborhood completed by 2014.