5 high-tech, affordable homes being built in Magna

MAGNA — A few months from now, a new housing development will blend community history, affordability and cutting-edge energy-efficiency.

The western Salt Lake County township will be the site of a five-home development named the Webster School Cottages, constructed using the latest in state-of-the art energy-saving enhancements, water conservation features and handicap-accessible design, according to the Community Development Corp. of Utah.

The homes are being built near the site where Webster Elementary School once stood, CDC executive director Darin Brush said during an unveiling ceremony Thursday. The school was demolished after suffering major structural damage in a 2004 fire.

He said the nonprofit group partnered with Salt Lake County and other organizations to build five new houses using some of the bricks from the old school building, which was a local landmark to many in the community, Brush said.

"Many of the residents that still live here were educated there, and when it burned down … it was a real loss to the community," he told the Deseret News.

When creating a plan for the new subdivision, Brush said his organization and civic leaders wanted to build a project that would benefit the entire community. He said each of the homes will use solar power to supply heat, reducing overall energy consumption and promoting green development in affordable housing. In addition, one of the houses will be completely handicap-accessible and the others will have numerous accessibility features.

The development will cost between $650,000 and $700,000, and the homes will be marketed to people who earn less than 80 percent of the area median income.

Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, speaking to the audience of about 100 people attending the ceremony, called the development a step in the right direction as the state figures out ways to conserve energy in the future.

"We have better technology, better ideas and better solutions to meet our energy challenges," he said.

E-mail: jlee@desnews.com