In one of Alaska’s most remote communities, access to quality housing can be as challenging as getting there.
Valdez is a six-hour drive through the Alaskan wilderness from the next largest city, if the weather cooperates. With an annual snowfall of about 25 feet, it is known as the snowiest town in the United States.
Despite these challenging conditions, Alaska Corporation for Affordable Housing (ACAH) has delivered 20 strongly needed affordable units for the community. Blueberry Terrace comes at a time when much of the local housing stock is aging, having originated during the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline in the 1970s, and nearly a quarter of the stock is made up of aging mobile homes from the same time period.
“Valdez is a coastal community where driving or even flying in is not always possible,” says ACAH director Chelsea Smith, noting weather-related road closures and flight cancellations also impact material delivery. “Blueberry Terrace provides housing opportunities for the community that otherwise wouldn’t exist. Community members aren’t able to just move to the next town or county over, or swing by the hardware store for bulk or specialty purchases. This is an opportunity for new quality housing in Valdez.”
Blueberry Terrace has been named the best rural development in this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
Designed for quality with Alaskan winters in mind, Blueberry Terrace is energy efficient and has structural support to withstand heavy snowfall and extreme cold. All units feature single-car garages, an amenity not often found in affordable housing. The garages prevent snow buildup and vehicle freeze-up while reducing harmful atmosphere emissions from vehicles warming up outside. The development also features an office, a play structure, a dog run, and significant snow storage space, all critical factors that were considered during site design.
“Building in Alaska is unlike building anywhere else in the country,” Smith says. “Energy efficiency is top of mind, and then there are weather events that impact product delivery and labor participation. It calls for collaboration with a great design and construction team on the front side.”
Located across the street from an elementary school, Blueberry Terrace features duplex-style buildings with one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, which are home to year-round service workers, single-parent families, and seniors. Many moved into these new units from overcrowded or poor-quality housing.
The $13.7 million development is financed with low-income housing tax credits. As a nonprofit subsidiary of the Alaska Housing Finance Corp., ACAH was also able to leverage the state housing authority’s federal Moving to Work program reserves for the project.
DEVELOPER: Alaska Corporation for Affordable Housing
ARCHITECT: LCG Lantech
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Wolverine Supply
MAJOR FUNDERS: Alaska Housing Finance Corp.; city of Valdez; First National Bank Alaska; WNC; Alaska Corporation for Affordable Housing