Habitat for Humanity Tucson and the town of Marana have partnered to build two homes in the town's Honea Heights neighborhood for low- or middle-income families.
The homes will be the first that Habitat for Humanity Tucson — an offshoot of Habitat for Humanity International — has built in Marana, volunteer Carol Buuck said.
The local nonprofit agency has built 284 homes in the Tucson area since 1980.
At an informational meeting held last week at the Marana Municipal Complex, 10 families picked up applications for the two homes, which will each have three bedrooms and a two-car garage.
The Habitat homes are part of a series of efforts that Marana is making to bring affordable housing to the town, community development director T VanHook said.
"It's a good start for Marana," VanHook said, adding that there are plans to build at least three more Habitat homes in Marana next year, depending on whether funding can be secured.
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The Honea Heights neighborhood, south of West Moore Road and east of North Sanders Road, also is the site of Marana's planned affordable-housing subdivision.
That project, which already has received $700,000 in funding from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco, calls for 94 homes to be built on about 37 acres along the Santa Cruz River.
At least 40 of those homes will be for low-income families, VanHook said, adding that all of the houses — including those being built by Habitat for Humanity Tucson — meet all of Marana's residential design standards.
Marana's median household income is $52,800, according to town figures, compared with $55,000 for Pima County.
Residents who have applied for the planned Habitat homes can have a combined household income of $19,250 to $58,100, depending on the number of people who will live in the home.
Applications were available only to families that attended last week's meeting, Habitat officials said.
One of those applications was picked up by Cindy Salgado, who lives and works in the Marana area but can afford to rent only a small home for her and her two daughters.
"I'd much rather be buying my own home than throwing money away each month," Salgado said. "It just makes more sense to me."
