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Twenty-three families will soon have new homes.
The City of Farmers Branch has teamed up with Builders of Hope Community Development Corp. so residents can receive newly built homes through two programs.
At the community meeting on Thursday, Sept. 25, Councilmember Omar Roman, District 1, said that the city chose to work with Builders of Hope to ensure that what happened in the Branch Crossing area, when builders built much larger homes than the homes in the rest of the neighborhood, which caused the community to change and tax rates to increase. “Some of the people who lived in that area got pushed out,” he said. “I didn’t want that to happen in District 1.”
Roman said he and the city worked with Builders of Hope to make sure that neighbors of the newly built homes won’t be negatively affected by property tax hikes.
For the Replacement Housing Program, the city received $2.5 million dollars from Dallas County to replace 10 existing homes by the end of 2026.
Homeowners who qualify for the program will have the option of living in their current home while their new home is built on a nearby city-owned property or of finding temporary living arrangements while their current home is demolished and a new home is built on their current property.
To qualify, families’ income must not exceed 80% of area median income, have a clear property title, have no unpaid back taxes unless on they are on an approved payment plan and must carry adequate fire insurance before work begins. The property must be owner-occupied as the primary residence for at least five years and not be economically feasible to rehabilitate. Following construction, a 15-year lien will be placed on the property.
The homes will have three bedrooms with two bathrooms and a two-car garage.
Six families have been approved for the program, and there is space for four more families, said Christopher Lewis, incoming CEO of Builders of Hope.
He said two builders would build the houses simultaneously. He anticipated foundations for the homes would be poured in January with interior work and finishes done in May. Families would close on their new homes in June.
“You’re going to get a good-quality home, and the Farmers Branch permitting department will make sure of that,” Lewis said. He called the application process “very easy” and “straightforward.”
The second project is being called The Porches of Valwood 2.0, because it adds 13 more lots to the five Builders of Hope bought from the city in 2024. The original five homes were built and sold, and the city sold additional lots to Builders of Hope at reduced prices to provide additional “attainable housing” in Farmers Branch for workforce housing.
Builders of Hope took residential feedback into consideration after the first five lots and changed some of the housing options.
Qualified buyers for Porches of Valwood 2.0 will have income within 80-120% of the area median income as defined by Dallas County, which allows for housing costs up to $380,000. However, the Builders of Hope homes will start in the $330,000 range. Builders of Hope works with multiple philanthropic foundations so homeowners can receive down payment assistance.
Representatives of Washington First Realty attended the Sept. 25 meeting to answer residents’ questions.
“We will work with you and match you with specific lenders to help you with down payment assistance,” said Builders of Hope outgoing CEO James Armstrong.
In addition, the organization provides a homebuyers education program to help teach new homeowners what to expect through the homebuying process.
Porches of Valwood 2.0 homes will be 1,700 to 2,500 square feet with three or four bedrooms and 2 or 2.15 baths. All homes will have a two-car garage, to ease issues with street parking, Lewis said.
Information about the Replacement Housing Program can be found here.
To learn more about The Porches of Valwood 2.0, call 214-920-9850 or email info@bohcdc.com. Visit Builders of Hope’s website here.
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