The North Carolina Community Development Initiative

grantees "taking the initiative"

National Spotlights Falls Upon Mountain Housing
MHO’s Prospect Terrace Wins Home Depot Award for Responsible Building

Mountain Housing Opportunities (MHO) is causing quite a stir in Asheville. In fact, MHO recently received national recognition from the Home Depot Foundation through their 2006 Awards of Excellence for Affordable Housing Built Responsibly. As national runner-up in the Homeownership category, MHO was awarded a grant of $25,000 for the Prospect Terrace development, located in the West End / Clingman Avenue Neighborhood (WECAN).

The capstone of the restoration and stabilization in this neighborhood,

Prospect Terrace is a testimony to 10 years of hard work and investment in a community that had been all but abandoned. To those who have witnessed the transformation, this award is far from a surprise.

"On a day-to-day basis, as we continue making progress on projects such as Prospect Terrace, I'm so inspired by our volunteers, staff and board," said Executive Director, Scott Dedman. "And the satisfaction of the people we serve — along with the many visible, measurable accomplishments we've reached

accomplishments we've reached — makes this very rewarding work."

Prospect Terrace consists of 17 condominiums and cottages, including a mixture of affordable and market rate homes designed to promote economic diversity within the community. It is the first project in North Carolina to receive Green Built Certification under the NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program, which seeks to promote responsible building around the state.

Key green features of Prospect Terrace include solar water heating systems, Energy Star appliances, low-flow water fixtures, rain barrels to prevent run-off and guaranteed heating and cooling costs, which range from $11 - $29 per month, through the SystemVision Initiative. In addition, MHO saved or reused 75% of the topsoil during construction and set up an on-site recycling center for waste materials.

This award is merely icing on the cake for MHO, but it certainly makes the taste that much sweeter.

The NC HealthyBuilt Homes Program provides resources for small to medium size home builders to equip them for green building.

For more information, see: www.healthybuilthomes.org

The WECAN neighborhood in Asheville has been completely revitalized in 10 years of MHO involvement.

Top: The multifamily portion of Prospect Terrace was completed in 2005.

Left: A single family home in Prospect Terrace.

Top Right: SystemVision was introduced by Advanced Energy in 2000.

Bottom Right: Solar panels for water heating.