20 February 2007

A new development in Johannesburg is to offer a unique mixture of both upmarket dwellings and social housing for the poor.

The project involves 187 new homes on 9.3 hectares of council-owned land in Fairland, in northwestern Johannesburg.

"This is a ground breaking development," says Alan Dinnie, project manager for the City of Johannesburg Property Company (JPC).

"Never before in South Africa have lower and higher income earners been incorporated into the same complex, living side-by-side as neighbours. This is the next step in the South African miracle."

JPC, managers of the City of Johannesburg's property portfolio, and Johannesburg Social Housing Company, contracted with private sector developers Crowzen, a joint venture between Crowie Projects and ZenQ, for the development.

It is to form part of the Jerusalem development precinct, which includes the new World Wear Shopping centre and the Wesbank and FNB home loan head office, which is under construction.

About a third of the units will be social housing, rented out by Joshco for R1 500 to R2 000 a month to families earning R3 500 to R7 000 a month.

The market-related units are expected to sell at prices of over R1.5-million.

"Externally, the signature look of the market units will be carried through the social housing units thereby seamlessly integrating the social housing units into the estates," said Crowzen development manager Anthony Forgey.

Source: www.southafrica.info