Two Homes in Parksley Showcase the Latest in Housing Innovation

January 27, 2026

Virginia Housing was on hand to celebrate the recent ribbon cutting of the Virginia Housing Innovation Cottages in the town of Parksley. The homes, each of which is approximately 1,300 square feet with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, are a promising step in bringing both cutting-edge construction methods and increased affordability to Virginia’s Eastern Shore. Construction was supported by funding through a Virginia Housing Innovation Grant awarded to Accomack County, the town of Parksley and iUnit Communities in 2024.

“Public-private partnerships like this are critical to advancing more affordable workforce housing across Virginia,” said Virginia Housing Director of Strategic Housing Chris Thompson. “Virginia Housing is excited to help drive creative ways of delivering new housing through our Innovation Grant Program’s support for this and other forward-thinking projects.”

One of the homes is a manufactured home, while the other is a modular home. Both construction approaches are promising tools for addressing Virginia’s affordability crisis. They are largely built in a factory before being laid on a foundation, meaning shorter construction times and less waste, requiring fewer workers on site, allowing skilled construction labor to support more projects.

iUnit, a housing developer focused on the intersection of technology, sustainability and affordability, worked with manufactured and modular home builder Champion Homes to modify standard designs to incorporate the cottages’ energy-focused specifications. The homes are net zero-ready, meaning they will draw energy from a renewable source, like solar energy. Each cottage has Energy Star appliances and energy-efficient lighting, and both were framed using Insul-Stud, an exterior wall system that allows for more space for insulation above and below windows and doors to keep down heating and cooling costs.

In the coming months, the Innovation Cottages will be marketed to members of Accomack County's workforce, such as teachers, nurses or first responders, or older individuals on fixed incomes.

You can read more about the Virginia Housing Innovation Cottages and their impact on the Eastern Shore in the Eastern Shore Post.