February 9, 2007 - From a large Army base in Maryland to a small community for international refugees in Nebraska to a major infill development in California, this year’s Innovation in Workforce Housing Award winners show a strong spirit of creativity, determination and commitment to excellence.

The Innovation in Workforce Housing Awards are conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The winners were announced today at the International Builders Show in Orlando.

“These awards recognize outstanding examples of workforce housing communities across the nation that provide quality, affordable homes for nurses, police officers, teachers, retail workers and other hard-working people who provide the services our communities depend on,” said NAHB President David Pressly, a builder from Statesville, N.C.

The awards are open to builders, developers, architects, designers and land planners nationwide. The winning entries were selected by a panel of builders and land development experts. More information about the awards can be found at www.nahb.org/workforcehousing. Judging criteria include:

• Exterior design
• Interior architecture
• Sales success
• Construction quality/cost efficiency
• Successful management of any impediments, such as site-related, regulatory and/or financial challenges.
• Level of cooperation among various stakeholders including the builder, developer, local and state government, area residents, etc.

“Rising land costs and regulatory costs make it difficult to produce affordable housing,” Pressly said. “These winning projects provide examples and ideas that are useful to our industry.”

The five developments to receive the 2006 award are found in Los Angeles, Calif., Pleasant Grove, Utah, Fort Meade, Md., Lincoln, Neb., and Noblesville, Ind. Below are summaries of each of the winning projects. And the winners are:

Avenue 26 Master Plan, Los Angeles, California

A blighted industrial district in Los Angeles has been changed by a new multifamily housing development that features affordable condominiums and apartments with easy access to a light rail station.

The Avenue 26 Master Plan, developed by AMCAL Multi-Housing Inc., offers 369 new affordable apartment units for families and seniors and 165 new condominium units, including 50 subsidized units. The condominiums are the first equity investment ($6 million) by the Genesis Workforce Housing Fund, a private equity fund created by the Phoenix Realty Group. Other funding for the project came from SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners, Wells Fargo, California Bank & Trust and the California Community Reinvestment Corp.

Avenue 26 Master Plan opened its first two phases, the 102-unit Camino al Oro seniors’ apartments and the 121-unit Tesoro del Valle family apartments in the first quarter of 2006. The other two phases, the 165-unit, mixed-use Puerta del Sol condominiums and the 146-unit Flores del Valle family Apartments, opened in December 2006.

Cambria, Pleasant Grove, Utah

Cambria is an affordable neighborhood located in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that offers more than 300 terraced condominiums and townhomes. Rising home prices in Utah in recent years have made it more difficult for working families to achieve the dream of homeownership. Cambria, developed by Trophy Homes, is helping to bridge the gap. The homes have been purchased by police officers, teachers, nurses and municipal workers.

The Cambria development includes walking trails, playgrounds, basketball courts and a large clubhouse with a pool, exercise facility and kitchen. Trophy Homes had to negotiate with the City of Pleasant Grove to get the development approved. A compromise with the city meant that Trophy Homes was not able to offer as many housing units as originally planned.

Fort Meade, Maryland

Located between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Md., Fort Meade Army Base is home to 3,200 families. With median single family home prices in the DC metro area reaching $450,000 and house rentals close to $2,500 per month, the average $1,000 housing allowance granted to military personnel made it difficult for families to find a home.

In response to the housing need, the design firm of JSA Inc. teamed up with Meade Communities, LLC – a partnership between the Department of the Army, the Fort Meade Command and Picerne Military Housing, a private developer and property manager. JSA planned and designed two of Fort Meade's five neighborhoods, each comprising 500 homes. The first neighborhood, Potomac Place, is an urban neighborhood that features homes consistent in architectural style to historic homes on the base and in the surrounding community. The second neighborhood, Meuse Forest, themed in a Craftsman/Bungalow style, includes 300 units of junior enlisted townhouses and single-family junior and senior officer houses. The community is anchored by a neighborhood center that serves as a focal point for families to gather and socialize.

The success of the program is reflected in the fact that the occupancy rate was 60 percent when the program started and is now nearly 100 percent.

Liberty Village, Lincoln, Nebraska

Liberty Village is a one-acre, 20-unit single-family subdivision located in an historical redevelopment. Built by Brighton Construction Company of Lincoln, the project incorporated PATH technology, innovative watershed management and architecture responsive to a diverse, multicultural community.

All Liberty Village units include a rear-facing garage served by a pervious concrete alley. The 20-unit project includes 16 single-family homes and four townhomes. The development focuses on the refugee population of Lincoln, which has been designated as one of 10 “refugee relocation” sites in the United States. Linerty Village buyers include Bangladeshi, Russian, Argentinean and Vietnamese refugees, as well as families dislocated by Hurricane Katrina.

Marilyn Ridge, Noblesville, Indiana

CP Morgan’s Marilyn Ridge development has provided affordable for-sale housing in the City of Noblesville, Ind. The community includes 332 homes, a seven-acre lake, walking trails, playgrounds and a community square. The homes range in size from 1,100 square feet to more than 3,100 square feet.

CP Morgan worked closely with the City of Noblesville officials to find ways to control costs. Homes in Marilyn Ridge have been purchased by teachers, police officers, and retail workers.