Stacked Duplexes, Cottage-Style
Water St
4 Units, 2 Buildings
1 beds, 1 Baths
Meadville, PA
Module’s Role: Design, Manufacture
The Water Street development project lead by Common Roots will create 4 new permanently affordable one-bedroom homes for rent in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Commons Roots is the only community land trust in rural Crawford County, and the low-, very low- and extremely low-income residents will be a part of an innovative rental cooperative program.
For a unique community need, Module worked closely with our client to design a unique home solution. The Stacked Commoner is two duplexes detached, with a one bed, one bath unit on the first floor and a second unit with separate entrance on the second floor. The 800 sq ft. apartments will be built to Zero Energy Home Ready energy efficiency standards and the first floor units are ADA accessible.
In rural Meadville, where new construction and affordable housing is few and far between, the Water Street development will keep residents close to downtown. Partners on the project include Federal Home Loan Bank, Crawford Gives, and the City of Meadville Redevelopment Authority. Manufacturing is planned to start by the end of 2026.
“Meadville desperately needs affordable homes. Lower income households have few, if any, good options in this market. Employers are struggling to recruit and retain the workers they need. Our downtown needs density to thrive. These funds will be used to transform vacant land on a central corridor into six new, energy-efficient, affordable homes for working families.”
- Julie Wilson, Ph.D., Executive Director of Common Roots
Common Roots is a Meadville-based nonprofit and community land trust working to create sustainable, permanently affordable homes while building wealth and housing stability for local residents. Through the Water Street project and other housing initiatives, Common Roots is helping diversify Meadville’s housing stock and create new options for households, including college graduates and other residents who might otherwise leave the community in search of housing that meets their needs.