Brunswick and IHA Have a Long History of Partnership and Progress and it is still going strong!
Brunswick and IHA Have a Long History of Partnership and Progress and it is still going strong!
IHA began its venture into the Mutual Self-Help Homeownership Program, financed by USDA Rural Development and guided by NCALL (National Council on Agricultural Life & Labor Research Fund, Inc.), with our Mountain View Homes community in Brunswick, MD that provided homeownership opportunities to low-income families in the 1990’s.
The Mountain View Homes community joined families together with the shared goal of creating a better future for themselves and future generations. They worked together for months to build their homes, providing 65% of the labor required to make their dream affordable. Twenty-two new homes were built with much love and hard work and six of them are still owned by those who helped to build them. The rest have provided an additional 31 families the opportunity of homeownership.
Although Interfaith Housing Alliance is committed to providing housing solutions of nearly every kind, its flagship programs have been geared to homeownership. These programs follow the mission of the organization to build community and to strengthen the economic stability of seniors, working families and individuals.
Homeownership represents the ultimate investment, building wealth through home equity to ensure economic security and gaining a strong sense of belonging to a community through ownership.
IHA’s Purchase Repair Homeownership Program, offered in Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties, continues our long relationship with Brunswick. Through help from IHA’s homeownership and financial counseling, 14 more families have become first-time homebuyers in Brunswick.
Brunswick is a wonderful place to call home. Known for its railroad and canal heritage, abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, new and vintage affordable homes, quaint shops and eateries, Brunswick proclaims itself to be a big town with small city ambiance and a friendly atmosphere.
IHA is also pleased to announce that a new mixed-income rental community, The Residences at Railroad Square, is on its way, combining historic restoration along with new construction. Amenities will include secure parking, elevator access, fitness center, pocket parks, community multi-purpose rooms and rooftop patio. The addition of these 45 apartments will contribute greatly to the growth and success of the many small Mom & Pop businesses in downtown Brunswick.
Also included will be The Shoppes at Railroad Square which will add approximately 15,000 square feet of retail/office space. The space will be a combination of new construction and renovated ground level retail in the adjacent Mommer’s Building, a prominent historic landmark located at the intersection of Potomac Street and Maple Avenue, directly across from Brunswick’s City Hall. The renovation of this 3-story building will include ground level retail space and 3 affordable apartments on the upper level.
Other components of the project include the restoration and adaptive reuse of the historic Brunswick Train Station for community and cultural uses, several pocket parks and green space areas for community events and seasonal activities and surface parking lot that will provide additional parking for Railroad Square and community events.
