King County
State of Washington
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The people of Vashon-Maury Island
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Our current project is the construction of 14 affordable homes for low-income first-time buyers. Sunflower Community Land Trust (CLT), built in partnership with Northwest Housing Development, will be the first VHH project to earn a Built-Green rating. In this project we are striving to use environmentally-friendly materials and methods of construction. Instead of the traditional suburban development model (sprawling street corridors and individual driveways), Sunflower will be a clustered, walk-in community featuring centralized parking and shared open space with permeable pedestrian pathways. It will be located just two blocks from Vashon’s town center.
Designed by local architect Keith Putnam, the homes offer quality living spaces with distinctive exteriors. Home sizes range from two bedrooms at 1060 sq. ft. to five bedrooms at 1734 sq. ft. All homes have open floor plans, covered porches, and attached “bonus” rooms for workshop, storage, or office space.
We are striving to keep Sunflower homes priced in the low $190,000 range. The appraised value of these homes will likely be over $350,000. For the low-income buyers who qualify, the resulting monthly payments for principal, interest, and insurance will be a fraction of what they would otherwise pay. All 14 homeowners at Sunflower will qualify for government-subsidized mortgage loans with discounted sliding-scale interest rates. The homes will be built largely with sweat equity by local families and individuals working together under professional guidance.
A Community Land Trust
Vashon HouseHold homes at Sunflower will be part of a VHH Community Land Trust (CLT). The land trust forever owns the land beneath the homes we build. Plots are leased to the homeowners for 99-year terms. The lease requires that all homes be sold only to income-qualified families at below market prices, according to a formula designed to give a fair but limited equity return to sellers, while keeping the homes perpetually affordable to future generations of low-income buyers.
*Be first-time home buyers, or not have owned a home in the last 3 years. (Some exceptions apply to divorced and/or displaced spouses or domestic partners.)
*Have gross income at or below 80% of the area median income. (Contact us for specific income limits).
*Be willing to participate in the physical construction of their home under the supervision of professionals.
*Have steady employment, a reasonable debt load, and no major credit problems.