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HERE’S THE LATEST NEWS...
STATEMENT ON INTERFAITH HOUSING COALITIONS-JOURNEY PROJECT
On June 5, the Board of Directors of the Interfaith Housing Coalition (IHC) voted to suspend the Journey project, a 250 unit mixed income planned community on 26 acres in the Englewood Community of West Pensacola. The board came to this decision based on three factors, the current economic environment in Escambia County and the State of Florida, reduced access to credit by developers and home buyers, and, despite our best efforts, the inability to generate sufficient funding for continued IHC operations.
IHC membership consists of churches and synagogues who invested countless hours and a great deal of their own resources to keep the dream of community transformation through affordable housing alive. However, after four years of struggle we have reluctantly concluded that because of the housing downturn, resulting in the surplus of vacant houses and significant loss in housing value, the houses envisioned in Journey would be more expensive to build than many of the homes already on the market in Escambia County. In addition, the churches and synagogues, faced with their own economic challenges, are unable at this time to engender the support necessary for the project.
Although the Journey project has been suspended and no longer has a full time staff, IHC will continue to explore creative ways to make this dream of affordable housing a reality in Escambia County.
News Editorial
IHC-Journey Draft Design Guidelines Samples & Renderings
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Project Progress to Date
IHC’s design team - Architectural Affairs, Inc., Michelle MacNeil, Master Planner and Quina Grundhoefer Architects (QGA), Carter Quina, Project Architect and Danny Grundhoefer, Project Manager was engaged in November 2006. The design team prepared several iterations of a conceptual site plan and completed this work in January 2008 once the tree survey was received.
A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment was performed in March 2007 and the assessment meets the standards of ASTM Practice #E-1527-05 and recommends no further assessment of the property at this time.
In April 2007, IHC received a Detailed Market Analysis prepared by Zimmerman Volk & Associates. The study indicates strongest demand is for housing for small families, primarily young couples, empty nesters, and retirees.
Escambia County Development Review - IHC and its design team attended a Pre-Application Conference on April 4, 2007.
IHC applied for and was granted a land disturbance permit for the clearing of brush and non-protected trees in May 2007.
In June 2007, a forester cleared the site of brush and non-protected trees to prepare the site for a tree survey.
In September 2007, Jehle-Halstead Engineering, Inc.was engaged to perform a topographic survey and to survey the remaining trees - identifying their location, species, diameter, and canopy spread. The architects used this information to finalize the master plan preserving as many of these trees as possible.
In January 2008, a Project Team was formed to develop the single-family housing phase under the State of Florida’s Community Workforce Housing Innovation Pilot Program (CWHIP). This Project Team consists of IHC, Architectural Affairs, Chadbourne Construction, LLC, Jehle-Halstead, Neighborhood Enterprises Foundation, Inc. (NEFI), and QGA. Together, the Project Team has developed more than 3,600 units (homes and/or developable lots) within the metro area.
To read this article in it's entirely, click on the following link –IHC-Journey Project Status Report 1st Qtr 2008
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HOORAY! The Escambia Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on August 16 to commit funding in the amount of $2,780,000 for Journey infrastructure! This was a vital next step in moving the community forward toward groundbreaking.
DONE!! FUNDED BY BANK OF AMERICA as part of its commitment to the stewardship of the environment, a tree survey will soon be conducted to identify and prepare for the preservation of the heritage oak trees on the Journey site as an integral part of the overall master plan. Old growth trees are God’s gift adding beauty, contributing to environmental wholeness (shalom), and assisting in energy conservation. We consider them a community amenity.
DONE!! FUNDED BY SUNTRUST, removal of brush and saplings by local foresters was required to allow access to the previously undeveloped property for the tree survey to begin. Thanks to a grant from SunTrust, that work is now complete!
DONE!! FUNDED BY WACHOVIA: Consultant Laurie Volk of Zimmerman/Volk Associates from Clinton, New Jersey, completed the market position analysis of the Journey development. ZVA is famliar with the area, having already completed a similar effort for the City of Pensacola. The results of this study were presented to the interested parties at a luncheon held in June. Those results will inform the IHC Board as it makes future decisions.
FUNDED BY UNITED WAY OF ESCAMBIA COUNTY, the master plan for the community will be reworked by the design team to adjust streets and lots to accomodate the presence of trees that have been preserved to ensure a community of beauty in an enriching environment.
Bush Hogging (Click image to enlarge) 
Day of Caring (Click image to enlarge) |
