GG+A has recently worked with the Habitat for Humanity of the Roaring Fork Valley to explain and substantiate the “market” for a modular housing plant in Rifle, Colorado. Needless to say, the potential workforce housing needs far exceed what a single modular plant could produce. Expect a shift toward modular housing to continue in smaller but high-cost, high barrier to entry housing markets:
According to Gruen Gruen + Associates, our existing workforce needs up to 2,500 new homes each year just to meet the existing housing needs of “missing middle” households. These are not new people moving to our community, they are currently employed here and are under housed. Over the next decade to support our economy, the total demand for affordable units is anticipated to rise to over 25,000 homes if left unaddressed. With the current sky-high construction costs in our valley, it is no longer feasible to rely on traditional “stick-built” construction to address our regional affordable housing needs.
Gruen Gruen + Associates 