Nearly a decade after announcing Timber Sky as one of the most forward-thinking master-planned communities in the country, Vintage Partners unveiled a milestone moment in its commitment to bringing attainable, eco-friendly housing to one of the most housing-crunched cities in the nation. On June 3, 2025, the development will host a kickoff event for a 10-home, 10-day “Blitz Build” in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona and the nonprofit Blitz Home Builders.

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These 10 homes will be the first of 40 long-term, permanently affordable workforce houses to be constructed at Timber Sky as part of the all-new Habitat for Humanity Starter Home Program. Priced at just $100,000, with $1,000 down and a 0% loan, homeowners will be able to build equity through their monthly payments and, after up to 10 years, they will receive 100% of their investment back. The home is then passed to the next qualifying family, helping generations of low-income families build wealth and break the cycle of poverty.

At full buildout, Timber Sky will incorporate a total of 281 affordable units fully integrated within the market-rate homes and rentals, the largest private delivery of affordable housing in the state, and a critical effort considering home costs in Flagstaff are 86% higher than the national average. This June’s Blitz Build will bring 10 of those Habitat homes to life in just 10 days, through the labor of 150 volunteers, many of whom are retired general contractors and builders from Blitz Home Builders, a national nonprofit.

Led by Flagstaff Mayor Becky Daggett, and former mayor and current Northern Arizona Director for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly, Coral Evans, plus Walter Crutchfield, partner at Vintage Partners and lead developer of Timber Sky, this kickoff event represents the culmination of the community’s long-standing goal: to create a vibrant, integrated, and inclusive neighborhood that tackles two of Flagstaff’s most pressing challenges: housing attainability, and sustainable, eco-friendly growth.

Habitat for Humanity of Northen Arizona Starter Home Program:

Each Habitat home is a 400-square-foot starter home, priced at just $100,000, with $1,000 down and a 0% loan. Homeowners build equity through their monthly payments and, after up to 10 years, receive 100% of their investment back. The home is then passed to the next qualifying family.

“It’s an equity ladder for people who’ve been shut out of the system,” Crutchfield said. “This isn’t charity, it’s opportunity. This is what it looks like when private developers, nonprofit partners, and city leaders roll up their sleeves and do the hard work,” said Crutchfield. “Flagstaff deserves housing solutions, not roadblocks, and Timber Sky is proof that it can be done.”

Impact of the Northern Arizona Starter Home Program

The initiative aims to significantly increase the inventory of affordable and workforce housing in Flagstaff while offering a sustainable path to homeownership. Through this program, homeowners will accumulate $10,000 in equity for each year they reside in their home, with potential cash-outs of $30,000 after three years, $50,000 after five years, and up to $100,000 after a decade. A single Starter Home has the potential to benefit up to ten families over time, generating a total of $300,000 in unrestricted equity savings. To ensure long-term success, participating families will also receive wrap-around services, including wealth management education, to help them build financial stability and avoid returning to the housing continuum. Homes in the program carry a deed restriction that permits only Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona (HFHNA) to repurchase them, allowing the homes to be refurbished and resold to other low-income families. This creates a shared equity savings cycle and offers a replicable model for affordable homeownership across the country.

Delivering on a Promise: From Vision to Impact

Originally announced in 2016, Timber Sky was designed not only as the nation’s first International Dark Sky-compliant community, but also as a model for inclusive housing. At the time, Crutchfield and the Vintage Partners team committed to integrating permanently affordable housing directly into the community, rather than isolating it. That vision is now a reality.

To date, Timber Sky has committed to delivering nearly 300 affordable housing units, including:

  • 40 for-sale homes through Habitat for Humanity, starting with the 10 homes completed during the Blitz Build event
  • 221 low-income tax credit apartments (Sierra on 66, by Roers Companies)
  • 21 discounted rentals

A Model for Community Integration

Timber Sky’s deliberate integration of affordable homes within the broader community is a wholly-different approach, placing them directly adjacent to million-dollar residences. “We’re not placing affordable homes ‘over there,’” said Crutchfield. “We’re putting them right in the heart of the community, so people in nearly $2 million homes and people in Habitat homes are neighbors. That’s the only way to create real community.”

Kickoff Agenda for June 3rd and the Broader Impact

  • Mayor Becky Daggett, celebrating Flagstaff’s leadership in affordable housing
  • Coral Evans, former mayor and current Northern Arizona Policy Director for Senator Mark Kelly, introducing the Committee for Attainable Housing (a coalition of Flagstaff’s largest landholders and institutional leaders) aims to expand access to homeownership for working families, healthcare professionals, and first responders priced out of the local market.
  • Walter Crutchfield, welcoming the Blitz Build team and reaffirming a long-term commitment to integrated housing