Richmond is about to get another mixed-income, urban community, only this one is different from any other in the region.

The developer is Richmond Metropolitan Habitat for Humanity. The nonprofit is building The Pillars at Oakmont -- 15 single-family, energy-efficient row houses at different prices in Richmond's East End near Armstrong High School.

Energy efficiency is not new for Richmond Habitat, but the local organization has never built a multifamily complex in its 22-year history.

Also new for the region -- and possibly the country -- is a mixed-income Habitat-built community, said Leisha G. LaRiviere, executive director of Richmond Habitat.

Twelve units will be sold to lowand middle-income Habitat clients at discounts, starting in the $90,000 range.

Three others will be sold on the open market at full value, ranging most likely from $175,000 to $210,000, LaRiviere said.

"We don't believe in a concentration of poverty, of having an aggregate of the same income level." It is healthier and more beneficial to a neighborhood to have a mix of incomes, she said.

The Pillars at Oakmont will be blocks of six and five townhouses with four duplexes in the middle.

Construction will start this summer with completion set for early next year. The same rules apply here as they do for any Habitat home, with residents helping to build the discounted units.

No one will be able to tell from the exterior which houses are market value and which are specifically for Habitat clients, LaRiviere said.

"We don't want to create a sense of 'haves' and 'have nots.' We want to create unity and a common spirit in an aesthetically pleasing community for all residents."

People who buy units at full value will be able to recoup their investments, provided the real estate market does well, even though Habitat clients buy at discounts. The deeds of trusts on Habitat houses are recorded a full market value.

The units will be distinguished by interior amenities. Units for low-income clients, for example, will have Energy Star appliances, but not in stainless steel. Market-rate houses will get the stainless-steel appliances and granite countertops, possibly double French doors and built-in bookcases.

All the units will be built to energy-efficient standards.

A sustainable-design charrette brought together 36 local architects and engineers to draft the community. The group gathered at Baskervill architectural firm in Richmond on a Saturday in mid-April to donate its time and talents.

LaRiviere said Habitat plans to use all the suggested energy-saving features and is looking for companies to donate or offer building materials at reduced rates.

Architect Scott Kyle, who participated in the brain-storming session, said a solar hot water system was recommended as well a cistern that will collect rainwater, which will be used for irrigation.

The plans also call for Hardiplank siding instead of vinyl, a pop-up dormer for more sunlight in each unit, toilets with dual flush systems and sensor-controlled ducts to allow fresh air into the houses.

Energy-efficient features would add about 10 percent to the cost of building, said Kyle, founder of Full Scale Architecture in Richmond, which specializes in sustainable design.

"When you make this kind of investment on the front end, the payback is pretty quick," he said. The extra building costs could be recouped in three years through reduced energy bills, he said.

Building to green standards is not just about costs, it's about health, he said. It's about using products that don't contain potentially harmful chemicals.

"The Pillars of Oakmont will be a great model for the neighborhood," Kyle said.

The care taken with the design shows respect for the people who will live in the houses, he said.

"Part of neighborhood revitalization is to bring out community pride versus community indifference," LaRiviere said. "When we come into a community, we come in permanently with care for the people who live there."

The development backs up to Oakmont Cemetery and sits on 1.3 acres at T and 33rd streets.

LaRiviere said the idea for the town houses stemmed from a meeting with community development directors from Richmond and Henrico, Chesterfield, New Kent and Charles City counties.

She asked what they were looking for in affordable housing.

Here's what they didn't want: Another boxy house that looks like every other Habitat house.

"I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach," LaRiviere said. Yet, she admits that Habitat houses do look alike.

"Richmond Habitat has been responsive to our concerns about making their houses look like regular homes," said Rachel Flynn, the city's director of community development.

"We don't want anyone to feel stigmatized because of income or how they got there," Flynn said.
Contact Carol Hazard at (804) 775-8023 or chazard@timesdispatch.com.