Keller Family outside their new home in Westgate Grove. Click the image to see a gallery of homes in the community.
A new affordable community is sprouting in Southwest Austin. In recent months, homeowners began moving into Westgate Grove, which will eventually include 61 homes and approximately 88 condominiums for owners who make less than 80% of the area’s median family income. The qualified owners were selected via a lottery due to very high demand. Westgate Grove is a project of HomeBase, a nonprofit subsidiary of Austin Habitat for Humanity. The land was purchased through a $1.8 million grant from the City of Austin, funded by the housing bonds passed in 2013.
Austin Habitat’s CEO Phyllis Snodgrass says, “We set out to help working families in Austin afford homes of their own, and the realization of that goal after years of planning and hard work is truly special for HomeBase and our families in Westgate Grove. We are so proud of the households who have already purchased a home and can’t wait to see how they build stability through homeownership.”
The developer for Westgate Grove is Momark Development, a company led by HousingWorks Austin board member Terry Mitchell. The community has a dense layout and its detached homes feature beautiful, modern designs and open floor plans, with garages and backyards. All the homes are Green Building certified by the City of Austin. CLICK HERE to see a gallery of the homes. Westgate Grove is located near exemplary schools with easy access to shopping, major highways, public transportation and employment opportunities.
One of the new families in Westgate Grove is Josh and Lindsey Keller and their three small children. The Kellers say there’s already a sense of community and camaraderie there. Lindsey said, “My husband and I look at each other all the time and say, ‘I can’t believe we live here!’ We feel unbelievably lucky to have found Westgate Grove and to live in a new home in south Austin on our budget. This is the kind of program that makes Austin such a great place to live!”
Josh added, “As a teacher, you pour your life into developing and coaching the next generation in your community. And you also know that you will be faced with financial constraints that can make things like buying a house in Austin very difficult. This program is special because it helps take care of the basic needs of people who serve the community. With those needs met, we are able to focus our energies on giving back, and doing our jobs the best we can.”
