Introduction
– Page 2
Contact:
Kay Brookshire, 483-4644 or 300-4850
[This could be boxed off in
the introduction page, or added to end of story]
For
a set of these plans, please stop by the Community Development Department at
the City of Oak Ridge Municipal Building, 200 S. Tulane Ave., Oak Ridge. For
more information, call Monica Austin or Tim Ward at 425-3531. Special thanks
goes to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge Public Library for
providing photos of Oak Ridge historic houses. The Housing Development
Corporation of the Clinch Valley, in cooperation with the City of Oak Ridge and
Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, has assisted in providing materials for
this special section of The Oak Ridger.
Free, Permit-Ready House Plans Encourage Renovation of Aging Homes
Oak
Ridgers refer to them as “cemesto homes” and “alphabet homes,” the historic
housing built hurriedly to house government workers during World War II.
Intended to serve the town temporarily, the homes have lasted almost 60 years,
creating neighborhoods and memories for more than one generation of residents
throughout the center of the city.
While
many have been well cared for over the years, the age of these homes began
taking its toll, and the city became concerned about deterioration as the homes
grew older. At the same time, housing advocates pointed to the need to create
more affordable housing in Oak Ridge for newcomers, young families, and
retirees.
Those
concerns led employees in the City of Oak Ridge Community Development
Department to propose an innovative program: have the city provide free house
plans showing renovation options for these original Oak Ridge homes that would
update the living spaces for today’s families.
The
idea took root, and now 30 sets of free, permit-ready house plans for 10
different types of Oak Ridge housing are available at the city’s Community
Development Department, in the Muncipal Building at 200 South Tulane Avenue.
The original houses included in the program are types A, B, B1, C, D, U, 22,
and 24. Two other later model houses, East Village and West Village designs,
were built in the mid-1950s and later through a Federal Housing Administration
affordable housing program.
The
free house plan program aims to encourage people to purchase and renovate the
city’s aging housing stock, as well as help make the renovation more
affordable, according to Tim Ward and Monica Austin, with the city’s Community
Development Department, who proposed the program to Oak Ridge City Council. The
plan was approved, and Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon was hired to develop
three different renovation plans for each of 10 different Oak Ridge houses.
BWSC
developed the 30 sets of house plans that are included in this special section.
The city began offering the free house plans last summer, and since then,
homeowners and potential homebuyers have picked up 433 sets of the plans. Several families are preparing to begin
renovation using the plans this summer.
The
program offers a cost savings not only in architect’s fees, ranging from $500
to $2,000 depending upon the extent of the plan, but also in fee waivers for
those who choose to renovate these homes. They are eligible for fee waivers of
all but $25 for building, plumbing, and electrical permit fees. Depending upon
the total amount of materials and labor for each project, the homeowner could
save between $110 and $150, according to Ward.
The waiver is another way the city can help make the renovation process
affordable.
The
house plan program has earned praise from many housing advocates, including the
Oak Ridge Housing Task Force, the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce Housing Task
Force, and the Housing Development Corporation of the Clinch Valley, among
others.
“We
think this is a very innovative way for the city to encourage the preservation
of its historic housing stock, and at the same time, to make it more affordable
for families,” said Ralph Perrey, director of Fannie Mae’s Tennessee
Partnership Office. Fannie Mae, the nation’s largest source of financing for
home mortgages, offers the HomeStyle mortgage product through Fannie Mae
lenders in Oak Ridge, allowing borrowers to finance purchase and renovation of
a home with one loan at a lower rate of interest.
The
Housing Development Corporation has partnered with the city in identifying
houses for the renovation plans and in marketing the concept, particularly
during the recent National NeighborWorks® Week celebration of homeownership
earlier this month. The corporation, a non-profit organization that offers
several programs to help those with low and moderate incomes become homeowners,
views the house plan program as a progressive plan for improving the affordable
housing market in Oak Ridge. The free house plans are available to anyone,
regardless of income.
Representatives
of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office in Knoxville,
observing HUD Homeownership Month during June, have described the house plan
program as a great way to encourage renovation of the city’s aging housing
stock. HUD is placing a priority on helping more people with low and moderate
incomes become homeowners.
In
developing the renovation plans, Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon provided
amenities through additions or redesign of interior spaces aimed at meeting the
desires of modern homeowners. For example, master bedroom and bath suites, more
closet space, larger kitchen and living spaces, family rooms, home office
areas, and new porches are among the features included in these house plans.
Homeowners
have the option of combining two or three renovation plans to update these
historic homes. For example, if a homeowner used all three options for
renovating the “D” house, one plan would add a new study and enlarged kitchen
on the front, another would include additions for a new master bath and walk-in
closet, and the third would add a new garage and screened porch on the back of
the house.
Oak
Ridge Mayor David Bradshaw, who rehabbed his 1949 Woodland home with his
father’s help over a period of several years, said city-sponsored housing
design plans would have saved him many hours of frustration. He’s glad the
plans will make it easier for others buy and renovate homes today.
“Houses
like these represent our community’s roots and are worth preserving and
reviving,” Bradshaw said.