By Benjamin Amirault
MARBLEHEAD — A chance to purchase a four-bedroom condominium on West Shore Drive for $207,900 is the prize in a local "affordable-housing lottery" on April 30.
Jim Haskell, spokesman for the Marblehead Community Housing Corporation, said the contest is a first for the nonprofit group.
Haskell said the property is part of a two-family condominium on 314 West Shore Drive and was purchased for $250,000. It was built in the 1970s, has two bathrooms, which have been remodeled in the last four years, and is topped with a 3-year-old roof.
To be eligible for the condo, households must have an income below 80 percent of the regional average.
The maximum income for a four-person household to be eligible in the lottery is $66,150. The number increases by $5,300 for each additional person. Applicants must have a minimum of four people in their household, eight maximum, and have assets not exceeding $50,000.
A mere 3.8 percent of houses in Marblehead are considered "affordable," which is far below the state standard of 10 percent.
Haskell said because Marblehead is low in developing space and high in expensive homes, the likelihood of the town reaching the state's 10 percent standard is unlikely, but meeting the state's expectations is not the MCHC's goal.
"The group is interested in making sure (Marblehead has) diversity of incomes and folks from different racial and ethnic backgrounds," Haskell said. "We want a Marblehead with all different types and colors."
With that in mind, Haskell said the MCHC is not just promoting the lottery in Marblehead, but all over the North Shore and into Boston.
Housing lottery
To apply for the affordable-housing lottery call the Marblehead Community Housing Corporation at 781-631-8273 or look for the link on www.marblehead.org. The deadline for applications is 4 p.m. April 23.
