They’re coming

The response must be ‘build it’

One of the joys of subscribing to a newspaper covering local communities day in and day out is the opportunity to read reporters’ coverage not just of the challenges, but the often-creative efforts to find solutions.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s reporting staff has covered increasing concerns over housing availability and affordability in Benton and Washington counties for years. Demand for all kinds of housing, with today’s population in the metro area approaching 600,000, is strong.

The Northwest Arkansas Council predicts that population will hit 1 million in 20 years. Twenty years seems like a long time, but break that down a bit. Growth of 400,000 people over 20 years averages more than 1,600 people a month. Where will all those people live?

Just in the last few days readers have learned more about two efforts to promote housing development and affordability.

In Fayetteville, the city’s Planning Department has been working with former planning commissioner Matt Hoffman of Miller Boskus Lack Architects and former City Council member Matthew Petty of Pattern Zones Co., under a $212,257 contract to create permit-ready residential building plans. The goal is to develop about two dozen designs with a variety of house sizes and types for two targeted areas: residential areas near Walker Park and in the downtown area.

How does that help with affordability and availability? A builder would have ready-made plans for no cost and because the city has preapproved the homes, the result should be much simpler and smoother sailing through the city’s regulatory processes. And as many developers can attest, time is money.

Hoffman told the Planning Commission last week the average dwelling unit size would be about 1,200 square feet and would range from single-family homes and quadplexes to townhomes. Britin Bostick, Fayetteville’s long-range planner, said about 1,200 properties within the Walker Park and downtown areas would be eligible for the permit-ready designs.

Is this a recipe for a cookie-cutter look to housing in Fayetteville? Officials say it’s not because of the wide variety of plans available and a proposal that if three or more of the buildings were on abutting lots, distinct variations would be required.

The Planning Commission is still weighing the particulars of the program, which will also be reviewed by the City Council. We all know who is in the details, but the program at first blush appears to be a serious undertaking that could accelerate the development of much-needed housing.

Another example: In Rogers, people this year will witness a first-of-its-kind bit of housing construction for Northwest Arkansas. Alquist 3D, working with the Northwest Arkansas Council’s Groundwork, will use a robotic, programmed dispenser of concrete to “print” housing units. The plan for four or more structures will produce two-story duplexes ranging from 1,300 to 1,600 square feet.

A construction printer layers concrete to form the walls, with a 1,500-square-foot structure taking about 30 hours. Windows, doors, roofing and other features are then added by construction crews.

The city last week agreed to sell two adjacent parcels at $50,000 for the project. The goal is to produce housing affordable to people whose annual income does not exceed 80% of the area’s median income.

Is this a wave of the future? Maybe. Once area builders see what’s possible, maybe the idea will catch on. It’s yet another path toward the rapid development of less-costly housing that this region must have.

Congratulations to everyone involved in these innovative projects. If necessity is the mother of invention, Northwest Arkansas is in store for some serious mothering.