Affordable Housing Project Mackie Drive Ready For Applicants

BREWSTER – The Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod project on Mackie Drive has reached its next phase: accepting applications. 

Last fall, the Brewster Conservation Trust agreed to sell 0.65 acres of a 1.58-acre property to Habitat for Humanity for affordable housing. 

BCT purchased two adjoining properties and a 12.36-acre conservation restriction, which preserves an old cranberry bog and about seven acres of woodlands. The second parcel has an existing dwelling that will be used for staff housing. 

The Mackie Drive project at 3571 Main St. will include two separate lots behind the existing dwelling, abutting the conservation area. The two homes — one with two bedrooms, the other with three bedrooms — will each have specific qualifications for purchase based on area median incomes (AMI). One home is reserved for a resident who earns up to 60 percent AMI while the other is set for 80 percent. According to the details, Habitat Cape Cod homes are typically priced from $233,400 to $320,250.

According to a Habitat for Humanity representative, for a four-person household, the current maximum income at 60 percent is $80,100; at 80 percent, it is $106,800. These income guidelines are adjusted annually. For income limits on a broader range of household sizes, visit the project page on Habitat for Humanity Cape Cod’s website. 

According to a press release, the monthly housing payment for the homes is estimated to be around $1,562 to $2,071, depending on the taxes, insurance, interest rates and other terms. 

The application deadline is Monday, Sept. 15. In addition to the Brewster project, the agency has one home available in Bourne and four homes available in Falmouth. Brewster applications are accepted online at habitatcapecod.org or at the Brewster Ladies’ Library. Applicants who require a paper application can call the Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod office at 508-362-3559 and request that one be mailed.

Families chosen are asked to commit 250 to 500 hours of “sweat equity” in building their home. 

Interested parties are encouraged to attend a prospective buyer workshop hosted by Humanity Cape Cod to review the application and learn more about the process. Virtual sessions will be held Wednesday, July 30 from noon to 1:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 12 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Monday, Aug. 25 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; and Thursday, Sept. 4 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Links to the virtual meetings can be requested via email at applications@habitatcapecod.org. 

In-person meetings will be conducted at the Brewster Ladies’ Library on Thursday, July 31 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. 

Every home built through Habitat for Humanity is deed-restricted to remain affordable in perpetuity.