Like many couples, Brian Devlin and Claudia Ovalle want a home of their own.
And like many couples, they want to buy a house in Princeton, where Ovalle grew up. Except that they were priced out.
But all of that changed when, with a ceremonial shovelful of dirt, Devlin and Ovalle broke ground on a new house on Lytle Street – thanks to Habitat for Humanity of Burlington County and Greater Trenton-Princeton.
Devlin and Ovalle were joined by representatives of the nonprofit group, Princeton University and the Mayor and Princeton Council at the Jan. 24 groundbreaking ceremony on the empty lot next to the Mary Moss Playground.
“This will make our dream a reality. It’s an opportunity for us to buy a home in the town where we can raise our family,” Devlin said.
The plan calls for building a two-family house on the lot. Devlin and Ovalle are buying the three-bedroom unit. The second unit will be a two-bedroom unit. Each unit is about 1,000 square feet.
The three-bedroom unit has been appraised at $205,000 and the two-bedroom unit has been appraised at $200,000, according to Habitat for Humanity of Burlington County and Greater Trenton-Princeton officials. Houses in the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood routinely sell for at least twice as much.
Lori Leonard, the chief executive officer for Habitat for Humanity of Burlington County and Greater Trenton-Princeton, thanked the Municipality of Princeton for donating the lot and also thanked the architect and attorneys who helped make it a reality.
“This house would not be built without the support of the community. I am happy to get to this point,” Leonard said.
Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert said it was “an absolute pleasure” to be on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony. It will be nice to have the space come to life next to the playground, she said, adding that the community saw the need for affordable housing and asked for it.
“This makes me proud to be a Princetonian,” Mayor Lempert said.
Princeton Council member Leticia Fraga thanked “all who made it possible.” Princeton University is donating $50,000 toward the project, and Princeton University students are going to help build it.
“I am extremely thrilled. Brian and Claudia are Princeton residents. They will have a place to call their own,” Fraga said.
Devlin and Ovalle applied to Habitat for Humanity of Burlington County and Greater Trenton-Princeton, which sells homes to low-income families, and were selected to participate in the program.
Habitat for Humanity offers interest-free loans to its partner families, with no down payment required. The partner families make monthly payments on the mortgage that do not exceed 30 percent of the family’s gross monthly income.
Now that Devlin and Ovalle have been chosen and will be buying a house through Habitat for Humanity of Burlington County and Greater Trenton-Princeton, they will be required to contribute 400 hours of “sweat equity” during the construction phase of the project.
However, up to 150 hours of sweat equity can be donated by family, friends and volunteers. Princeton University students will be contributing their time to help Devlin and Ovalle build the house. Sweat equity can be done during the week, in the evening and on the weekend.
Habitat for Humanity’s income guidelines vary from county to county. In Mercer County, a two-person household can earn between $23,736 and $47,472 to be eligible. A three-person household’s income range is between $26,703 and $53,406. For a four-person household, it is between $29,670 and $59,340.
The Municipality of Princeton acquired the property from developer Roman Barsky in 2015. One of the two lots was vacant, and the second lot was occupied by a house. The town incorporated the vacant lot into an expanded Mary Moss Playground,and earmarked the second lot for the development of affordable housing.
