Low- and moderate-income first time home buyers in the Tampa Bay area will soon have the opportunity to purchase affordable, water-conserving homes.
Florida Home Partnership, Inc. has agreed to take part in the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Florida Water StarSM Gold (FWSG), a new comprehensive water conservation program for new home construction. This voluntary certification program for builders encourages water efficiency in household appliances, plumbing fixtures, irrigation systems and landscapes, as well as water quality benefits from best management practices in landscapes.
“We are pleased to have a developer on board that caters to first-time home buyers,” said Susan Douglas, FWSG certification coordinator. “This partnership emphasizes that environmentally-friendly homes can also be affordable.”
Florida Home Partnership, Inc. is a not-for-profit, housing developer that provides affordable housing opportunities for first-time home buyers through “sweat equity” and the USDA Mutual Self-Help Housing Program. The organization was founded in 1993 and was formerly known as Homes for Hillsborough.
The first two Florida Home Partnership communities that will be certified are Hidden Creek in Wimauma and Sunset Hills in Dade City. Both communities will feature low-flow plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency toilets and ENERGY STAR® appliances as well as limited irrigation systems and low-maintenance, Florida-friendly landscaping.
Hidden Creek is a planned community that will feature 141 homes and a community clubhouse. Sunset Hills is the organization’s first community located outside of Hillsborough County and will consist of 65 homes.
“We want to help our clients build homes that save water, both for their own cost savings and for the benefit of the environment,” said Eileen Burke, Florida Home Partnership, Inc. administrative coordinator. “Signing on to this program is evidence of our commitment to efficient, green building standards.”
For more information about Florida Home Partnership, Inc., please contact Burke at (813) 672-7860 ext. 245.
For more information on how to become a certified FWSG community, please contact Douglas at (352) 796-7211, ext. 4752.