GREENVILLE, S.C. — A first-of-its-kind Habitat townhome project for Greenville County broke ground Thursday in the Sterling neighborhood, with seven homes planned at 509 Jenkins Street under the Baxter-Norris Villas name.
Leaders say the two- and three-bedroom units target households at 30 to 80 percent of area median income, aiming to keep ownership reachable as prices climb. The local Habitat affiliate is seeking $1.7 million to finish the work.
City crews removed two vacant houses from the Jenkins Street lot in 2021 and turned the parcel over to Habitat in 2022 after planners studied multifamily designs that fit the narrow site. Framing is expected to begin in April 2027, with families hoped for by about October 2027.
Neighbors picked the Baxter-Norris label to recognize Peggy Baxter, a longtime Habitat leader now listed as director emeritus, and Xanthene Norris, who previously served on Greenville County Council. Both women came of age in Sterling and finished school at Sterling High.
Sterling is still identified with the former Sterling High campus, shut in 1970 after integration, and with today’s Sterling School magnet. Habitat’s public materials cast the groundbreak as putting ownership within reach for seven local families while housing costs keep rising.
President and CEO Latonya Phillips has described multifamily building as a more flexible way to add affordable homes. City Councilmember Dorothy Dowe tied the project to the deep Sterling roots Baxter and Norris still represent.
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