After placing four families in homes on Santa Barbara’s Westside earlier this year, Habitat for Humanity of Santa Barbara County is moving across town to take on an even more ambitious project — 12 units at East Canon Perdido and Milpas streets.

The project went before the Santa Barbara City Planning Commission in June, and officials at Habitat are hoping the commission will issue final approval when it goes back for review on Jan. 12.

In June, commissioners raised concerns about parking and the flow of traffic on the site.

Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Joyce McCullough said the group has been working with city staff since then to come up with a plan that works.

“We wanted to have it look like a little village and not like a condominium development,” she said.

The project now includes an open area for families and children to play. They’ve also changed the project so that one of the units is handicap accessible.

One couple lives in the building on the property now, and McCullough said they’ll be able to live there until Habitat is ready to begin construction. After that, the group will help them relocate, she said.

As for the future tenants of the project, Habitat will begin taking applications for the housing next year. Starting in March, the organization will hold orientations on the South Coast to talk about the criteria.

People interested in being put on the list for those upcoming dates should email their contact information to mail@sbhabitat.org.

Qualified applicants must reside in deteriorating, unsafe or overcrowded living situations, have good credit and be able to pay a mortgage payment, and put in 250 hours of “sweat equity” into the home, where they help construct the home themselves.

Families also must have an income of 40 to 60 percent area of the median income, which translates to $28,920 to $43,380 for a family of four.

McCullough said the group is hoping for building permits by the end of May 2012, with a potential groundbreaking in the fall and a year for construction.

“It’s going to be a wonderful project,” she said.

— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.