September 01, 2009

EL PASO – The Housing Authority of the City of El Paso proudly opened its first Energy Star homes in a new subdivision on Monday, August 31, 2009.

“This is a great day for the Housing Authority, this is a great day for the City, and this is a wonderful day for the residents of Montwood Heights,” said Gerald Cichon, Chief Executive Officer. “Hopefully this will be considered the future of public housing as these homes blend into the surrounding community.”

Montwood Heights is a 76-lot subdivision in far East El Paso immediately behind the JCPenny on Joe Battle and Zaragoza. The 10 single-family homes have earned an Energy Star rating by the Southwest Energy Conservation and range in size from 1,200 – 1,500 square feet. Each home contains three bedrooms, two baths, a double-car attached garage and energy-efficient appliances. Zia Homes carefully constructed each home using quality materials under an $805,933 contract paid in part through the Housing Authority’s $20 million HOPE VI grant. The homes are estimated to cost $119,000 on the market and will have a positive impact on surrounding property values.

During the well-attended ribbon cutting ceremony, Mayor John Cook commended the HACEP staff and home builders for establishing a successful public/private partnership to reduce the concentration of poverty. Meanwhile, Karl McElhaney from Congressman Reyes’ office said that the Housing Authority is fulfilling the energy efficiency goals of President Obama while greatly reducing the utility bills for the low income families.

“After three years of living in a one-bedroom apartment with my daughter and granddaughter, this is my dream come true,” said Paula Lira, 69. “I’m very happy and grateful.”

All of the residents moving into Montwood Heights are former Alamito residents whose homes are being rebuilt on a one-for-one basis. Alamito was HACEP’s oldest public housing community built in 1941. Over the years, Alamito had served its expected life cycle and needed to be replaced. While most of the 349 units are being rebuilt at Alamito, a handful of homes like Montwood Heights are being built offsite. Once completed, the remaining lots at Montwood Heights will contain homes designated for public housing homeownership as well as market-rate properties. In the end, Montwood Heights will truly become a high-quality, mixed-income community.

Shane Griffith - Public Information Officer
sgriffith@hacep.org
(915) 849-3710