Moscow group proposes more homes

The Moscow Affordable Housing Trust plans to build three affordable homes next year and 17 in the next four years at Paradise View subdivision on the south end of town, the housing trust’s executive director, Nils Peterson, said.

Peterson said the housing trust purchased the 1.2-acre parcel of land, located south of Palouse Prairie Charter School and east of The Grove apartment complex, in 2019 with a bank loan.

He said the Moscow Affordable Housing Trust is seeking money to build three homes in 2021 on the Powers Avenue side of the vacant property. The homes will be sold using the community land trust model in which the trust sells the improvements (houses) and retains the land the houses are on. Peterson said the housing trust will use that model for all 17 homes.

“This is our strategy to create permanent affordability,” Peterson said.

He said the housing trust used the community land trust model this year to sell three new townhouses on Southview Avenue on the north side of The Grove for $159,000 each. The appraised value of each home and land was $205,000, Peterson said.

He said the homeowner saves money by not purchasing the land but that he or she still rents the land for a small monthly fee. Since the homeowner does not own the land, he or she does not pay taxes on the property — another cost savings.

“It’s a multipart savings for these income-qualified buyers,” Peterson said.

The housing trust’s homes are designed for “Moscow’s workforce,” or people earning less than $50,000 per year.

A homeowner can sell the home after purchasing it from the land trust, but it must be sold to another income-qualified buyer, Peterson said.

He said the Moscow Affordable Housing Trust will apply for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funds to construct the three homes next year. He said he is confident the housing trust will be granted the federal funding.

Infrastructure, such as a paved public alley, sewer and electric, have been installed for the 17 proposed homes, Peterson said. He said the houses will comprise single-family homes, twin homes and he believes a four-unit townhouse.

The housing trust, which was formed in 2009, has sold six Moscow homes since 2015. A rehabilitated Valerie Court home, east of Moscow, sold for $143,000 in 2015; a new Morton Street home sold for $165,000 in 2017; a rehabilitated Public Avenue home sold for $185,000 in 2019; and each of the three new townhouses on Southview Avenue sold for $159,000 this year.

Peterson said the land trust board will soon engage in a strategic planning process to outline the trust’s goals. He said he anticipates the board’s goals will include selling three or four homes each year — a much higher production than the one home that has sold each year on average — based on the strategic plan.

Peterson said he is always looking for land to purchase and build homes. His hope is to find donations rather than using other funds to buy and develop land. The property itself — not including construction — can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.

Peterson said he would love to strike partnership, perhaps with a developer, to build affordable housing.

Garrett Cabeza can be reached at (208) 883-4631, or by email at gcabeza@dnews.com.