Carter Crossing, a development by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, will be Carpentersville first new subdivision in 15 years.
Courtesy of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity
Carpentersville’s first residential development in 15 years will help people attain homeownership.
Village trustees recently signed off on a 28-home subdivision proposed by Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity. It will be off Kings Road near Dundee Crown High School.
The subdivision is named Carter Crossing after the late President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalyn, both longtime Habitat supporters. It will be one of the largest Habitat developments in Illinois, said Barbara Beckman, executive director of Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.
“This is going to be something that the community can be really proud of,” said Carpentersville Village Manager John O’Sullivan.
Trustees unanimously supported the project.
“We’re happy to have them and welcome some new neighbors to the village,” he said.
A national organization, Habitat for Humanity provides homeownership assistance through its volunteer building program. It also uses low-cost loans to help clear any financial obstacles to homeownership.
Typically, recipients go through a two- to three-year process that includes various courses on homeownership and finances before being given the keys to a home. Habitat homeowners pay fair market value for their houses and put more than 200 hours of “sweat equity” into their home’s construction.
“Habitat for Humanity becomes an alternative path to homeownership for low-income families,” said Beckman.
The Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity affiliate started building homes in 1990. Since then, their efforts have led to homeownership for 170 families.
Carter Crossing will be built out over the next four or five years, Beckman said.
The agency is partnering with Nicor to make 13 of the 28 houses net-zero energy homes, meaning they will produce as much energy as they use. That will happen by using solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and other upgrades.
The energy efficiency of all the homes will further help families lower the cost of monthly utility bills.
“I think it’s exciting that this is the first subdivision that Carpentersville has approved in 15 years,” Beckman said. “I hope the fact that it’s net zero helps bring some attention to Carpentersville because it’s a great community.”
Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity received a $950,000 federal grant to use toward infrastructure improvements for the project, which is estimated to cost $10 million.
The subdivision will be on 5.2 acres of a nearly 30-acre wooded parcel owned by Habitat.
The houses will range in size from 1,200 to 1,385 square feet and include three or four bedrooms and two-car garages.
A path connecting Dundee Crown High School to the Fox River Trail also will be included in the development to allow for safer pedestrian traffic in that area.
Beckman said her organization hopes to donate the remaining property, which is heavily wooded, to the forest preserve or the park district.
Though Carter Crossing will be a large project for Fox Valley Habitat, the organization intends to continue building homes in other communities it serves as it builds out the Carpentersville subdivision, Beckman said.
Beckman noted that proceeds from the sale of each house will be put into building more Habitat homes.
“With every mortgage payment, our families are helping other families become homeowners,” she said.
For additional information about Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, visit foxvalleyhabitat.org.
