Kristen Witt
Providing affordable housing options for Colorado families remains a high priority among government and business leaders, especially as the cost of owning an average-sized home continues to rise. Masu. Providing people with affordable housing options ultimately comes down to planning, design, and construction costs, all of which can be reasonably addressed and resolved with a well-planned approach. I can. And as more communities and towns look for ways to help people have a place to live, we save money when designing and building homes people are proud to call home. There are some smart ways to do this.
80/20 rule
80% of affordable housing developments can be standardized. This means each unit has a repeatable design, saving planning and construction costs. These savings allow you to spend more money on the remaining 20% ​​of your development. This includes amenities, entrances, lobbies, courtyards, and many common areas that enhance the quality and appearance of the development. The remaining 20% ​​is where the magic happens from a design and construction perspective and can truly enhance the appeal of your development.
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Efficient design and construction
By designing efficient and repeatable floor plans for individual units, affordable housing developments can save costs, avoid problems during construction, and shorten the learning curve for future developments. I can. This streamlined design approach also requires consideration of the type of materials used to construct the development. Durable materials and simple pallets contribute to more favorable returns. These types of materials include brick, metal siding, and fiber cement siding such as Hardie board. All of these are cost-effective, easy to install, easy to maintain and reuse, and are fire-resistant for increased overall safety. The construction industry also offers efficient ideas such as prefabrication and modular construction solutions.
Choose your site wisely
Finding the perfect site to build on is an important first step in developing and building affordable housing communities. By doing so, you avoid delays and costs associated with the entitlement process. For example, the land must have ready access to existing municipal services, so nothing new needs to be installed or considered (a municipal landfill site is ideal for this requirement). The land itself should have flat terrain (no slopes) to avoid unnecessary design and construction challenges. It must also have good quality, clean soil (no brownfield contamination that would require excavation and hauling). Proper drainage is also important to avoid costly problems with groundwater and flooding.
appropriate scale
Affordable housing developments can more easily achieve their goals (in terms of development, design, construction costs, and home prices) with larger projects offering anywhere from 80 to 120 units. . Projects can achieve economies of scale by efficiently increasing production and spreading costs over more repeatable units. A better site can also produce better results when less budget needs to be spent on horizontal construction such as utilities, site access, and grading.
creative funding sources
As the affordable housing crisis continues to be a focus, more funding sources and assistance are becoming available, but identifying and securing them takes effort and time. Readily available financial resources include federal tax credits, state programs like Colorado Prop. 123 and Private Activity Bonds (PABs), and local-level programs and grants like his CHAP in Boulder. Most of the affordable housing projects we work on are funded by multiple sources, including some private investors.
overcome obstacles
Unfortunately, NIMBY backlash against affordable housing development still exists. A recent example is the proposed Brown Ranch project in Steamboat Springs, which was voted down by local residents. Another example is housing developers. Housing developers are often targeted as companies interested only in making money, and want to include quality, affordable housing options throughout their development plans, but face public backlash and project approvals. They are stuck due to barriers. In our experience, strong community involvement and support can make the difference between project success and failure.
The need for affordable housing continues to grow in modern society as rising costs, rising interest rates, stagnant salaries, declining family earning power, and inflation impact everyone’s finances. This need needs to be addressed by identifying the most efficient ways to develop, design and build housing that people can afford. Delivering more housing requires a ‘we’re all in this together’ mindset from all stakeholders.
Kristen Witt is principal architect at Caddis Collaborative, a Boulder-based architecture, urban design, and planning firm.
