The Atlantic Community High School Construction Academy built this home at 46 NW 12th Ave.

The Atlantic Community High School Construction Academy is planning an open house for a project it started in 2005, at 46 NW 12th Ave. in Delray Beach on Tuesday, April 28 at 1 p.m.

The city, the Community Redevelopment Agency and the Greater Delray Beach Chamber of Commerce helped sponsor the event.
With an eagle as the school's mascot, the project was titled "Eagle Nest."

Eagle Nest is a unique residential construction project that is “student-designed and student-built," said Bito David, school district spokesman. He said with all residential construction in the city, Eagle Nest has to meet all codes and requirements. Eagle Nest is not given preferential treatment and must meet all applicable building and zoning codes.
"To a very large degree, Eagle Nest is a highly-evaluated school project and it has met and continues to meet all benchmarks required by the city. The city of Delray Beach is one of the few Florida municipalities that sponsors an education board for its schools," he said.
In 2005 Atlantic Community High School approached the city with a proposal to build affordable housing. After negotiations, the city agreed to donate a vacant lot to the program. To further support the initiative, the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency would fund Eagle Nest for two years with a zero interest $150,000 construction loan. Eagle Nest agreed to sell the house to the city’s Renaissance Program for affordable housing. With the profits from the sale, Eagle Nest will repay the construction loan and retain the remaining funds. The city and Eagle Nest will continue the process with the next phase. Eventually, Eagle Nest will become a fiscally self-sufficient high school construction education program as homes are built and sold to the city.

Today, that dream is reality.

The Eagle Nest sign on the property.