Our Mission

As a service for the public good, and with the help of our generous community, Baynes Creek Development exists to build an affordable and diverse neighborhood of workforce housing for Greene County’s essential workers with the help of state and local supporters in our community.

Interior living room with green walls, large green plants, a wooden console with books and decorative items, a round mirror, and a patterned rug.
Greene County Habitat for Humanity Board Director, Jan Broughton, who has brought this project of Baynes Creek to life.

Jan Broughton, Baynes Creek Board of Managers Chair

Greene County Habitat for Humanity is excited to announce the creation of Baynes Creek Development – a mixed-income neighborhood for entry-level buyers, in a community that is an innovative approach to providing affordable, workforce housing in Greensboro. Baynes Creek Development is designed to create economic, social, and educational benefits for our community, encouraging interaction in a diverse, close-knit neighborhood.

Located on Oconee Avenue in Greensboro, Baynes Creek will be a charming, attractive 25-acre neighborhood that will contain 70 single family owner-occupied homes. These homes are a combination of single and two story, 3 or 4 bedroom. It will also feature a park that includes community gardens and walking paths. A percentage of these homes will be for lower-income families, helping set a new model for mixed-income living.

Through the generosity of the Baynes family and Georgia Communities, LLC, the homes in this neighborhood will actually be sold below market rate if we can raise the funds necessary to build the infrastructure for this innovative community, providing an increasingly rare opportunity for essential workers who are aspiring homebuyers to purchase a home at an entry-level price in an environment where there is basically no inventory at all.

We believe the desperate lack of affordable, workforce housing that currently exists in Greene County undermines the stability of our entire community and we are committed to addressing this issue.

Close-up of a signature that reads 'Jan Broughton' in black ink. Greene County Habitat for Humanity Board Director
A modern living room with light gray sofa, decorative pillows, a beige throw blanket, a woven pouf, a round wooden coffee table with a small plant, a cream-colored rug, potted plants, a tall floor lamp, and framed architectural art on the wall.
Close-up portrait of a smiling middle-aged woman with curly blond hair, wearing a blue patterned blouse and a gold necklace, against a gray background.

Elaine Mathews, Executive Director, Greene County Habitat for Humanity

As Executive Director, I am so excited to be a part of such a wonderful organization. "Being a Hand Up instead of a Hand Out" prepares families for their future. This concept has always been the backbone of Habitat for Humanity.

Why build a neighborhood like Baynes Creek? We have seen firsthand the transformative effects of homeownership on families and how building Habitat homes in one area can transform a neighborhood. Homeownership is vital to a community’s economic well-being. It allows the opportunity to build wealth, is associated with higher levels of civic engagement, and is correlated with positive cognitive and behavioral outcomes among children. These entry-level homes will fill a gap in our housing market, which has an extremely low inventory of homes priced below $290,000. The neighborhood is designed to encourage interaction among all families and to foster a sense of community among all residents.

Elaine Mathews,
Executive Director,
Greene County Habitat for Humanity