Lack of starter homes in Michigan leaves first-time buyers in the lurch (Detroit News Free Press)

One Ferndale development with 72 town houses, called Parkdale Townes, will soon take shape on the site of the former Taft School at 427 Allen Road off 8 Mile.

The builder, Bloomfield Hills-based Robertson Brothers Homes, anticipates attracting entry-level buyers to the homes, which will be 1,200 square feet to 1,500 square feet. An initial batch of homes could be ready for their occupants late this year, said Robertson Brothers President Jim Clarke.

"We're trying to keep it in the low $200,000s on the smaller town houses, higher $200,000s on the larger town houses," he said.

The tax-incremental financing incentive "enabled us to get an attractive price point for people to move to Ferndale," said Tim Loughrin, the builder's manager of land acquisition.

Parkdale Townes was originally proposed with 109 town houses, but Robertson Brothers scaled back the project after nearby residents expressed concerns. Clarke said the density reduction added about $5,000 to $10,000 to the cost of each town house, although he emphasized he is nevertheless happy and excited for the development.

"It is very hard to deliver a single-family home for much less than $300,000, unless you are in a very far outlying area and you get good density," Clarke said. Robertson Brothers also is preparing to build 28 houses in Ferndale in another new development, called Wilson Park Village. Those are to start in the low $300,000s.

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