‘These people have served us, and it’s time for us to serve them,’ said Brock Fankhauser, a real-estate developer and founder of the 1776 Community.
U.S. Army veterans Peter and Kelly Clark slept under their own roof for the first time in a decade Friday night, thanks to the work of a patriotic real-estate developer.
Brock Fankhauser donated a mortgage-free home to the two retired veterans after opening the 1776 Community in Gastonia, N.C., last summer.
“While we enjoyed traveling in our fifth wheel and seeing new, interesting places, it is time to resettle in a house and enjoy the next chapter of our lives,” Kelly told National Review.
During his time in the U.S. Army, Peter suffered a traumatic brain injury and underwent prolonged exposure to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. The critical injury, along with exposure to toxic waste, led to lung and brain cancer diagnoses, memory loss, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite his cancer remission, Peter’s health has been declining.
Peter, 63, and Kelly, 57, retired as an Army sergeant and Army specialist, respectively. Peter served in the Marines from 1978 to 1982 and reenlisted in the Army Reserve following 9/11. He served for a decade until his honorable discharge in 2013. Kelly served for eight years in the Army Reserve. The pair met in 1996 in Fort Myers, Fla., where both were working civilian jobs.
For much of the last decade, Peter and Kelly have been traveling the country and making their home in a recreational vehicle. “It was a great way to see the country we served to protect,” Kelly said. “But now, his medical needs are too great, and we couldn’t continue living in the RV.”
Kelly wanted to seek stability for herself and her ailing husband, which led them to Fankhauser’s company. Described as a grassroots movement that combines American patriotism with real-estate development, the 1776 Community coordinated with Building Homes for Heroes to donate the Gastonia home. Given its $650,000 retail value, the house would have been unaffordable for the Clarks otherwise.
“As I am the primary caregiver to my husband and handle all the finances, the mortgage-free home takes the pressure off me financially,” Kelly said. “I am able to concentrate more on what’s important for Peter.”
The 2,100-square-foot, brick residence comes completely furnished, allowing the couple to move in with ease. Designed by NewStyle Communities, the one-floor home was built with accessibility in mind. Considering Peter may have mobility issues later in life, the wider doorways and functionality of the home best serve his needs.
“It’s among the nicest homes we’ve ever built, and it was important for us to do that because we didn’t want to go into our selection of floor plans and designs and pick something that was on the entry-level side,” Fankhauser told National Review. “These people have served us, and it’s time for us to serve them.”
The Clarks’ new home is the first built out of 43 living spaces in 1776 Gastonia, a retirement community for people 55 and older. Its address is just off Founding Fathers Drive, one of several street names that appeals to residents’ love for America. Five more lots are under construction in the community.
Kelly said she was “shocked” to learn that she and her husband were chosen to inhabit the new home. They were also surprised to find that they loved the 1776 neighborhood.
“When Peter and I applied for the house, we only knew it was in Gastonia and in an over-55 community. It was a complete surprise and blessing to be at 1776,” Kelly said, adding it was the type of community they were searching for.
What sets the 1776 Community apart from other home developers is its commitment to American values. Homeowners are asked to fly an American flag outside their homes year-round. This distinct feature gained widespread media attention from outlets, like Fox News and the Guardian, when 1776 Gastonia launched last July.
While receiving praise from conservative media, the flag requirement was criticized in the Charlotte Observer for its inclusion with the purchase of each home.
Responding to the criticism, Fankhauser said it’s a pledge, not a mandate, and a “test of people’s commitment to one another and to the core values of the 1776 Community.” No resident can be evicted or penalized if the flag is taken down. It also looks “architecturally attractive,” he said in explaining his reasoning behind the flag pledge.
Fankhauser is planning additional 1776 neighborhoods in Moore, S.C.; Keller, Texas; and Hermiston, Ore. He said he is committed to donating one home in every community under his trademarked brand.
The real-estate developer has long-term plans to establish more locations across the country through a licensing model. He also hopes to expand his customer base to entry-level buyers, renters, veterans, and non-veterans alike. Peter and Kelly are the first customers to benefit from the founder’s vision.
“It was a collective effort to be able to build them an extraordinary home that’s going to satisfy all of their needs,” Fankhauser said of his organization’s synergetic collaboration with Building Homes for Heroes, which is no stranger to donating mortgage-free homes to veterans, first responders, and their families.
“When we created the 1776 Community last year, one of our core values in being leaders of this community and creators of this community is that we were going to give back,” he added. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to do as a developer and builder for 25 years and never taken the opportunity to do it. But with 1776 and our ties to American patriotism, it just seemed to make sense that this would be our first chance to do it.”