Ground was broken Saturday for the first home to be built in the new Habitat for Humanity Green Freedom subdivision on the far West Side of Aurora, which will feature 17 net-zero-energy houses.
The 8.5-acre site between Lindenwoood Avenue and Jericho Road represents a partnership between Habitat for Humanity, Nicor Gas and ComEd.
The project is designed to use only as much energy as it generates by combining natural gas and electric resources, officials said.
Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Jeffrey Barrett said the project is the first of its kind in the country.
“These 17 homes are net-zero carbon neutral homes that will be built for affordable housing for families that make 30% to 80% of the medium income in the Chicago area,” Barrett said.
The first home in the subdivision will be owned by Tlueka Chism and her family.
Chism was on hand Saturday for the groundbreaking ceremony for her future home.
“I applied for the program in March of 2022. It’s a lengthy program and you have to complete a number of volunteer hours – what they call ‘sweat equity’ – so once those are completed, they tell you where you are going to go,” Chism said. “Your hours have to be completed before you move in.”
Barrett stressed that Saturday’s groundbreaking event will be repeated over and over as each of the 17 homes begins the construction process.
“This is just for the family that is getting this particular home,” he said of Saturday’s event.
Looking ahead, he said “we have homeowners lined up and have six families chosen for homes already,”
He said the “total build-out” of the subdivision will take about three years with about five to six homes being built each year.
Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity Director of Construction Len Zegiel said he served on staff with Habitat the past three years as the construction manager and worked with Habitat “many years before that with my own construction company helping out and giving back.”
“This is taking us into the future, not only with Habitat but in the building industry,” he said of the new subdivision. “The systems we are going to be using, the appliances we are going to be using are far beyond what’s being used in the marketplace today.”
Like Chism, Mireya Aguilera of Montgomery and her husband Humberto were on hand to witness the groundbreaking event and said she too has been selected to own one of the first homes in the subdivision.
“I think this is exciting, of course. It’s a great opportunity and we’ve been waiting for this for more than 30 years,” she said. “You can imagine how emotional it is for my family and my husband. This is our first house. We are going to be the second homeowner (in the subdivision), and even though we don’t know when we’re going to move in, we’re counting the days.”
Humberto Aguilera likewise said he is excited and that the opportunity to have a house was something “beyond our dreams.”
“Now we’re happy that this is happening,” he said. “I think having a house that is better for the environment is a good thing.”
Jen Rowen of Batavia will also be a future homeowner in the subdivision, and said it makes it feel “like every day is Christmas.”
“This is exciting and it’s progress,” she said of the new subdivision. “It lets me know my future is going to be better soon too.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
