Townhomes on Federal Street are still selling well. (Photo by Kelsey Shea)

by Sarah Reagle

After a successful first wave of houses built on Federal Street, more families will find new homes in the Northside very soon.

Federal Hill Homes has started construction on their second phase of building, and some of the new houses will soon be complete.

The second phase of construction will bring new townhouses to Federal Street, a block uphill from the first phase houses. This second phase is divided into two subphases, the first of which is almost finished. The first subphase includes 12 houses, half of which have already been sold. The remaining six are expected to close over the next 30 days.

“It’s definitely selling by word of mouth. We have a lot of friends who come to us because one of their friends purchased a house there. It seems like the buyers and the people who live there are selling the houses for us, which doesn’t happen a lot. It’s pretty unique in that respect,” said Andy Haines of S&A Homes..

The first phase of the project sold equally well, with all 23 homes purchased.

“We finished construction, and literally someone moved in the next day,” said Haines.

Haines confirmed that the second subphase, located across the street from the first, will likely start construction in April. Three of the nine houses in the second subphase already have buyers.

The second subphase — and final phase of the project — should be complete around January 2013.

While this will complete the plan for all the houses on Federal Street, Haines said there has been talk of doing another phase of houses in the area. However, there are no definite plans for more houses after the completion of the second phase.

“We decided we wanted to get Federal Hill Homes done first,” said Haines.

He expressed that the majority of people seem to be very happy with their houses, and the new homeowners have found ways to integrate into the community already.

“We are excited that several of the new homeowners on Federal Street have gotten engaged in the neighborhood by attending and joining the membership of their community organization, the Central Northside Neighborhood Council,” said Chris D’Addario, president of CNNC. “Such involvement by new neighbors is exactly why we wanted this project to succeed in the first place.”