Volunteers from Blitz Home Builders are working at the Timber Sky development to complete the first 10 Habitat for Humanity starter homes planned for the site.
Each year, Blitz Home Builders chooses a Habitat for Humanity affiliate鈥檚 project for its annual "blitz build," with volunteer experts in different aspects of home construction traveling to the site for two weeks at their own expense. The organization has done so for 27 years, building homes from the ground up in locations across the United States.
The blitz build in Flagstaff runs from June 3 through 12, concluding with a dedication ceremony for the 10 completed starter homes on June 12. A total of 150 volunteers, including Blitz Home Builders experts, local residents and new starter home owners will be participating.
Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona first broke ground on the Timber Sky starter home neighborhood last June, having completed its pilot starter homes at the corner of O鈥橪eary Street and Butler Avenue in 2022 and 2023.
It plans to build 40 homes on three acres at Timber Sky, with the final homes finishing construction in 2026.
The starter homes are meant to be an accessible entry point to homeownership in Flagstaff that helps their residents build savings and can be used by multiple households over time.
Each homeowner pays a $1,000 down payment and a monthly mortgage of up to $1,000, $833 of which is put into equity savings ($10,000 per year) that the homeowner will receive at the sale of their house. They must reside in the starter home between three and 10 years, giving owners the possibility of saving $100,000 if they stay the full decade.
The homeowners must sell their house back to Habitat at the end of their residence. The organization will then sell it to another new homeowner, continuing the cycle.
Habitat has already selected the first 10 homeowners for this project, who spent time at the blitz build this week helping to construct their new homes. At the end of October 2024 (midway through the application period for these homes), the organization had received 382 applications, with those not selected being placed on a waitlist for future starter homes.
Overall, the Timber Sky development from Vintage Partners plans to include 281 affordable units within its market-rate homes and rentals, according to an announcement of the blitz build.
This includes the 40 Habitat starter homes, 221 low-income tax credit apartments as part of Sierra on 66 by Roers Companies (which plans to open this fall) and 21 discounted rentals.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an equity for people who鈥檝e been shut out of the system,鈥� said Timber Sky lead developer and partner at Vintage Partners Walter Crutchfield in that announcement. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 charity, it鈥檚 opportunity.鈥�
He also noted that the affordable units are located throughout Timber Sky.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not placing affordable homes 鈥榦ver there,鈥欌�� Crutchfield added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e putting them right in the heart of the community, so people in nearly $2 million homes and people in Habitat homes are neighbors. That鈥檚 the only way to create real community.鈥�
More about this project can be found at .