The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development invited innovative housing professionals to the National Mall June 9-11 to kick off National Homeownership Month and put on display some of the nation’s top creations that help provide increased access to high-quality affordable housing.
“HUD and its Office of Policy Development and Research have supported innovation in housing and building technologies since the beginning, and these investments have contributed to changes in building codes, improvements in industry practice, and most importantly, lower housing costs for American families,” HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research Solomon Greene said. “The Showcase continues that tradition, featuring the latest technologies and designs that can help meet the nation’s growing housing affordability and climate resilience needs.
“We are so grateful for all of those who brought their innovations to the National Mall,” he said.
Visitors on the National Mall stream into the Sanibel, a new duplex model home from Cavco Industries. The 1,770-foot floor plan offers side-by-side 885-square-foot residences, each with a front porch, large living, dining, and kitchen space, two bedrooms, and ample storage.
Sam Landy, president of UMH Properties, said the duplex homes will go on their own 5,000-square-foot lot.
“So people can have their own garden, they can have a pet, they have a shed, there’s no common-wall neighbor above, below, beside them,” Landy told Secretary Fudge during a walk-through of the home. “They have their privacy, so it becomes a very enjoyable place to live.”
Fudge noted during the tour what a great value the new type of home could be for young people and families looking to rent. “This is something they would never expect,” she said.
“This is great,” Fudge said. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I could stay all day but I have to go see some more houses.”
Leaders from across the country came to Washington, D.C., to represent the industry, including Cavco Industries President Bill Boor, at right. Earlier in the week, the Manufactured Housing Institute hosted its MHI on the Hill event, which involved manufactured housing professionals from all parts of the industry taking to Capitol Hill to share housing priorities with Senatorial and Congressional elected officials and staff.
The wide-open and inviting kitchen and dining space in the Sanibel offers a place to prepare a meal for the family, or host a dinner party.
The Sanibel has a pair of spacious bedroom, including this well-lit space on the back of the home. Notice, out the left window is the Washington Monument.
The home on display on the National Mall was made possible through a partnership between Cavco Industries, the Phoenix, Ariz.-based builder, and UMH Properties, the Freehold, N.J.-based community owner. The Sanibel duplex on display was built in a factory in Virginia and is destined for a community in Carlisle, Pa., to be the new home for a pair of families.
