Lisa Bloomquist, executive director of HomesFund, a mortgage assistance and affordable housing nonprofit, opens the first of 40 envelopes containing the names of people who filed applications of interest in purchasing one of four affordable workforce deed-restricted housing units at the Animas City Park Overlook development. The project consists of 22 townhomes, four of which have been designated as income-qualified housing units. (Courtesy of Joshua Wolfe, city of Durango)

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Lisa Bloomquist, executive director of HomesFund, a mortgage assistance and affordable housing nonprofit, opens the first of 40 envelopes containing the names of people who filed applications of interest in purchasing one of four affordable workforce deed-restricted housing units at the Animas City Park Overlook development. The project consists of 22 townhomes, four of which have been designated as income-qualified housing units. (Courtesy of Joshua Wolfe, city of Durango)

Forty individuals, couples and families were selected at random Thursday to determine what order people will have the chance to purchase an income-qualified affordable workforce townhome in the Animas City Park Overlook.

The first four lottery winners, determined by opening shuffled envelopes containing the names of applicants, get first dibs at a chance to purchase a townhome, notwithstanding an eligibility review by HomesFund, a mortgage assistance and affordable housing nonprofit.

Lisa Bloomquist, executive director of HomesFund, shuffled the envelopes and opened them. The four initial winners were Max Bechtold, Briggen Wrinkle, Ivy Mata and Jennifer Dixon.

Bloomquist said information about HomesFund’s next steps in checking each applicant’s eligibility for income-qualified housing at the Animas City Park Overlook will be emailed to the first four applicants drawn and the next four applicants (as backups in case any of the first four applicants are ineligible). The remaining applicants will be evaluated for eligibility in the order they were drawn as units become available.

HomesFund partnered with the city of Durango and Agave Group, the developer of the Animas City Park Overlook project – a 22-townhome complex including 12 market-rate units, six workforce-qualified units and four income-qualified units – to host the lottery.

Bloomquist said in a Dec. 1 interview with The Durango Herald that to be eligible to purchase one of the income-qualified units, one’s annual income cannot exceed 125% of the area median income, which is $98,125 for a household of two or an annual income of $122,625 for a household of four.

Construction continues on the Animas City Park Overlook Townhomes, located on East Second Avenue and 33rd Street, in November. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Jerry McBride

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Construction continues on the Animas City Park Overlook Townhomes, located on East Second Avenue and 33rd Street, in November. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald file)

Jerry McBride

The lottery was held to give all interested applicants the same opportunity to purchase a unit without giving anyone familiar with the townhomes project a leg up in applying ahead of others, she said.

Two of the income-qualified townhomes are two-bedroom units and two are three-bedroom units. Three of the units are expected to be completed by April or May, and the last unit should be completed by the end of next year, said Heather Dawson-Snead of Agave Group. The income-qualified units are available for reduced pricing ($399,999) compared to market-rate units with and without garages.

A rendition of the Animas City Park Overlook Townhomes project before Durango's installation of the 32nd Street Pedestrian Bridge. (Courtesy of Agave Group)

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A rendition of the Animas City Park Overlook Townhomes project before Durango's installation of the 32nd Street Pedestrian Bridge. (Courtesy of Agave Group)

cburney@durangoherald.com