The Manor at Prairie Crossing Opening Celebration

November 10 2017-The opening of The Manor at Prairie Crossing was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on November 10, 2017. The Manor provides eighteen units of affordable housing serving seniors in the Village of Mahomet and represents HACC's first development in the smaller rural areas of Champaign County.

The Reverend Larry Lewis, Chair of the HACC Board of Commissioners, opened the ceremony with a warm welcome to all attending. The Honorable Sean Widener, Mayor of the Village of Mahomet, expressed sincere appreciation to HACC for recognizing the need for affordable housing that will enable lower-income seniors to remain in the Village of Mahomet.

County Board Representative Brooks Marsh congratulated HACC on the excellent design and construction of cottages that are compatible with other housing in the area. The Manor at Prairie Crossing was the vision of Mr. Edward Bland, the CEO of the Champaign County Housing Authority, from 2004 through 2017. Recognizing the Housing Authority's mandate to serve all communities of Champaign County, Mr. Bland worked to identify affordable housing needs in the smaller communities throughout the County and successfully built trust of the Village of Mahomet, who rallied in support of the project.

Mr. Bland returned to Champaign County from his new position as Executive Director of the Portsmouth, Virginia Housing Authority to celebrate the opening of The Manor at Prairie Crossing. Mr. Bland shared his fond memories of HACC and thanked all attending for assuring that the project was successfully completed as envisioned. 

Steve Tock, Community President of Hickory Point Bank, expressed gratitude on behalf of the bank for being able to participate in a great project that will provide community benefit for many years ahead. Residents Helen Mackey and Donna Van Dyke, shared tears of joy as they spoke about their new homes at The Manor at Prairie Crossing. The ceremony concluded with a tour of one of the cottages and refreshments with all residents.

Residential units at the property offer 920 square feet of living space including one bedroom, one bath, den, living room, kitchen, and laundry. Amenities include attached one-car garages and all appliances including dishwasher and in-unit washer and dryer.

The property was developed under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Moving to Work Program and is owned by MGDC Mahomet, LLC, a non-profit affiliate of the Housing Authority of Champaign County. The total development costs for the project were $3,680,352.