Building Jericho
‘URBAN VILLAGE’ HOUSING COMING TO WYLIE By Donnita Fisher
I
n the biblical account, the children of Israel followed a plan and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The organizers of Jericho Village-Wylie are hoping to bring some walls down as well.
Jericho Village-Wylie will be located on about 2.5 acres at the corner of West Brown Street and North Winding Oaks. The development will feature a 38-unit “urban village” concept with a community center, playground and access to services offered by of Agape Resource & Assistance Center of Plano, the group building the complex. The residences will be income-based rentals.
THE NEED FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING “In Collin County, over 6,500 households are one crisis away from homelessness,” said Janet Collinsworth, Agape CEO and founder. A 2023 study by the National Low Income Housing 6|
| December 2023/January 2024
Coalition ranks the DFW area third in the top 10 worst metropolitan areas for affordable housing with only 16 affordable and available homes for every 100 extremely low-income renters. Janet shared that the median income in Wylie for ISD and municipal workers is $55,000. “According to HUD, these households should not pay more than $1,375 for all housing costs, including utilities,” she said. The website point2homes.com lists the current average apartment rent in Wylie at $1,680 and the average rent for a single-family dwelling at $2,647, excluding utilities. “It is difficult for those who protect and serve the Wylie community to actually live in Wylie,” Janet said. “Rent that is based on tenant income is economically attainable and affordable by those households. “Jericho Village rents will be based on the Wylie area median income of $105,600 with 95 percent of the units
