New houses in downtown Benton Harbor on the way

A subdivision with 17 new homes is going up in the heart of Benton Harbor.

Harbor Town on Market Street between Eighth and Twelfth streets is to be constructed over a 12 months period through a partnership of the City of Benton Harbor, Cornerstone Alliance and the Michigan Housing Development Authority.

The homes are being built for those earning no more than 120 percent of the area median income, or approximately $66,360 for a family of four.

"The homes being constructed as a part of this project offer downtown living at a fair and reasonable price while being virtually maintenance free since it is new construction," says Active Realtor’s Deb Patterson. "Another key feature to these home is they offer downtown living with close proximity to many area amenities including the new Whirlpool office campus located along Main Street."

The three and four bedroom homes come in five different styles and floor plans and architectural renderings can be seen at the Harbor Town website. The homes will be built to be energy efficient and are expected to sell for about $125,000. Qualified home buyers also will be eligible for incentives.

The project is made possible with funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act -- Neighborhood Stabilization Program II and is one of two in the state, says MSHDA Community Outreach Specialist Debbie Neumann. The subdivision is part of ongoing efforts to improve available housing in the community that have included Morton Hill and HOPE VI developments.

"The project provides us with an outstanding opportunity to offer newly constructed homes at an excellent price to individuals interested in living in the City of Benton Harbor," says Joseph Harris of the City of Benton Harbor.

A sales center for the project will be operated at 170 E. Wall Street in Benton Harbor.

Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Jamie Balkin, Cornerstone Alliance

Pictured: Sales center for the project. 170 E. Wall Street, Benton Harbor.