Nine ecstatic Vineyarders won the right to buy affordable homes in the Edgartown’s Jenney Way project by lottery in an elaborate public ceremony at Edgartown town hall Monday.
The culmination of years of work by several Island housing organizations, the sophisticated design, energy-efficient homes were awarded to the winners from 26 applicants, at knock-down rates ranging from $160,000 to $330,000.
Karen Altieri, a 42-year-old mother of twins whose name was chosen for number 10 Jenney Way, was crying before, while and after her card was drawn. Her son’s hand in her clenched fist, and with at least five good-luck charms about her person — a coin, square nail, prayer card, Buddha statue and a miniature leather sandal — Ms. Altieri’s emotional investment in the draw was difficult to miss.
Standing outside her new three-bedroom home a few days later she was still a little teary.
“How cool is this?” she said, walking around back to a common area which will have a swing set and sand pit. “I haven’t been around this side of the property in a while,” she added with a grin, adopting the haughty air of a member of the landed gentry.
In fact, though Ms. Altieri is still yet to officially sign off on the house, she admitted to having spent a lot of time checking the place out over the past weeks.
“I was coming here and saying my prayers and I had to stop myself from thinking about where furniture could go,” she said.
Ms. Altieri works as an advertising representative for the Vineyard Gazette.
The properties were built by South Mountain Company, an Island construction company which likes to scavenge for its materials. The durable Cypress exteriors are reclaimed wood; the floors are all made from wood donated by the estate of the late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham’s estate. Yet the houses are built to last — the company claims the properties should need almost no maintenance for the first 20 years.
The buildings are also highly energy efficient — according to South Mountain, homeowners can expect to pay 60 per cent less in heating costs compared to 2007 prices for another house of similar size.
The two and three-bedroom houses are priced according to percentages of the median income range for Dukes County. For instance the two-bedroom homes, which have current market values of $550,000, were priced at between $160,000 and $290,000, based on what’s considered affordable for people earning a household income ranging from 80 to 140 per cent of the Island median.
The average family income in Dukes County, according to the 2000 census, is $55,018. State figures from 2006 put the average Dukes County annual wage at $38,428.
Ms. Altieri recently learned that her 14-year-old son Kyle had been taking his friends for preemptory visits to the property, sneaking in through an open bulkhead.
“I didn’t realize how it was affecting my children,” said Ms. Altieri. “My son came home after baseball and he said ‘Guess what? I got to pick jerseys today and I picked number 28.’ He normally picks 2, for Derek Jeter. And he said ‘Mom, the lottery’s on the 28th.’ That brought tears to my eyes.”
After the lottery Kyle was low key.
“I was excited, but not as excited as Mom,” he said.
On the day though, he was more demonstrative.
“He kept squeezing my hand,” said Ms. Altieri, “saying ‘Mom, we’re not going to have to move anymore, do you realize that?’ He was so psyched. It’s so important to have stability for children.”
The lottery was a departure from the standard script from Monday’s selectmen’s meeting, which also dealt with such quotidian orders of business as a resignation from the beautification committee, and liquor license renewals.
Martha’s Vineyard’s largest scale affordable housing lottery, the project has had the input of the Island Affordable Housing Fund; Island Housing Trust; Dukes County Regional Housing Authority; South Mountain company; the Jenney family; and Edgartown town leaders.
Alan Gowell, chairman of the affordable housing committee, gave an introductory speech thanking the Jenneys. “The great thing about them was they said, ‘Put it in my back yard. Build it here,’” he said.
Patrick Manning, executive director of the Island Affordable Housing Fund, also spoke about the project’s success, urging those who did not win that day to keep up hope.
“Everyone deserves a home, it’s the American dream,” he said.
Selectman Arthur Smadbeck, who took over as chairman from Margaret Serpa on Monday, then shook a box, presented it to selectman Michael Donaroma, who picked a card and handed it to Ms. Serpa. Jumping, hugging and roars of applause followed as the names were announced. Winners carried off the box with a photograph of their house and a flower provided by selectman Michael Donoroma’s nursery.
“It’s hard when you’re in a lottery,” said Ms. Altieri, “I wanted this house so bad for my twins. You know, it’s emotional for me.”
Three of the higher-income bracket houses were awarded without a contest to single applicants: Scott Patterson, Ezra and Lisa Sherman and Peter and Jennifer Smyth.
Some of the lottery draws gave preference to those with existing Edgartown connections. Working and living in Edgartown, and with children attending the Edgartown School, Ms. Altieri was at a significant advantage in her draw.
Other winners were Donna Souza, Anita Keegan, Fionna Finneran, Joshua and Priscilla Tucker, and Paul Moreau.
This was Mr. Moreau’s fourth affordable housing lottery. An Edgartown paralegal, he started out paying for a summer room 15 years ago and has been renting ever since.
“I was surprised to see all the support I had,” he said. “After the first few times, you learn to deal with the anxiety. But it was great to hear the cheer go up when my name was called.”
“I’m uncomfortable that we have to have a lottery,” said Mr. Smadbeck after the meeting. “That things are so expensive, that there aren’t houses for everyone. But what can we do? We roll up our sleeves and get down to it.”
David Vigneault, executive director of the Dukes County Regional Housing Authority, has detected a watershed in the Island’s approach to affordable housing.
“It’s a wonderfully fruitful time,” he said, pointing to the 70 homes currently in the works across the Island, “At the town annual meetings there was a lot of enthusiastic floor debate on affordable housing measures, followed by a series of near unanimous votes.”
Both Mr. Vigneault and Mr. Smadbeck stressed again the point made several times at the lottery: that there will be more chances.
“Some solace for folks on the lottery roller coaster is, we’ll be right back in Edgartown as early as August,” he said.
Jenney Way organizers are hoping that Monday’s winners can move in ahead of Memorial Day. However, they still have to satisfy the criteria of mortgage agreements and arrange a downpayment for their new homes.
“It’s so unfortunate they call this affordable housing,” said Ms. Altieri. “My mortgage rate would still be more than I’ve ever paid each month. If it wasn’t for my mum and dad helping me come up with the down payment I couldn’t do it.”
Mr. Smadbeck agrees.
“We’re all walking around patting ourselves on the back for creating affordable housing but it’s a stretch,“ he said. “If you quoted these prices to a guy in North Carolina he would laugh at you.”
Nevertheless, judging by the coat-hanger smiles on display on Monday, lotteries such as Jenney Way are gratefully received by those looking for a way to remain on the Island.
“It will work out,” said Ms. Altieri, with a tearful smile, “And it’s going to be a house, that I don’t ever have to get kicked out of.”
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