The first quad building of townhomes at Coastal Haven will be complete in summer. | Leah Foreman, Jacksonville Business Journal
Published on April 24, 2026 at 11:57 am
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It took nearly a decade just to get the land together and the infrastructure in place, but soon the first building of the Beaches Habitat for Humanity’s latest attainable housing project will be open to residents.
The initial four units, part of a single building of townhomes, will be completed by August. Coastal Haven, situated off of Mayport Road, along Sandy Walk Lane, will comprise 44 units when it is completed by 2030.
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Bonnie Laubach, development director for Beaches Habitat for Humanity, spoke to the Jacksonville Business Journal about the need for housing by the Beaches.
“It’s really sad to see families that have grown up in this community, that have worked in this community for so long and given back and just can’t afford to be here anymore,” said Laubach, a native of Neptune Beach.
It costs about $200,000 to build each unit, and the total cost of the 44-unit development is approximately $10 million, she said. The nonprofit sources most of its funds through grants and donations.
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The residents, who are chosen through a lottery system, pay down the home’s mortgage, which the nonprofit owns, through a 30-year affordable home loan with no interest. Laubach noted that residents have to live or work in the Beaches area for at least a year and meet HUD-regulated income requirements to qualify for Beaches Habitat for Humanity housing.
Residents get to select some finishes and fixtures. They must take part in 300 hours of building their own homes and some mandatory workshops.
The three-bedroom homes will be built with a bedroom on the ground floor for residents with mobility issues so residents can age in place. One of the first four families to move into Coastal Haven is a Navy veteran who has been diagnosed with glaucoma, Laubach said.
Beyond the townhomes
Beaches Habitat for Humanity serves Neptune Beach, Atlantic Beach and Jacksonville Beach. The nonprofit’s reach goes as far inland as Saint Johns Bluff Road.
Across the bridge, the First Coast Habitat for Humanity recently broke ground on a 12-home subdivision that will be completed by summer 2027.
The Beaches Habitat for Humanity is a small team, made up of 15 full-time employees, and the nonprofit’s developments are made possible largely through the work of volunteers. Laubach said group contracts out for electrical and plumbing work, usually to Limbaugh Electrical Contracting and Advantage Plumbing.
The small nonprofit struggles to find affordable land. A portion of the 46 parcels that make up Coastal Haven were donated to Beaches Habitat for Humanity. According to Homes.com, the average home values in the area are $918,000 for Neptune Beach, $944,000 for Atlantic Beach and $757,000 for Jacksonville Beach.
Due to the increasing price of land, Laubach said the nonprofit may resort to doing only home rehabilitations, for seniors and veterans who own their homes, within the next 10 years.
“We’re not in the business of giving away homes or just bringing people to the beach that want to live at the beach. That’s not the purpose,” Laubach said. “It’s people that are really in this community and doing the hard work, and it’s just unfortunate there’s nowhere for them to land.”
This story was published as part of the Northeast Florida News Collaborative.
