Living in Kent County, Michigan with one of the state’s biggest cities, Grand Rapids, usually means that you will find find a shortage of affordable housing.
But something unique happened there when the Kent County Land Bank which changed its name to “InnovaLaB” decided to become very proactive in providing affordable housing.
Did they turn to manufactured HUD homes? NO! They began working with Champion Modular Homes to provide the answer. Through Champion’s New Era factory in PA, 25 modular home plans were chosen to meet the standards InnovaLaB had developed for the project.
By pre-planning the modular floorplans for ease of construction in the factory and in the field the agency believes they will save as much as 30% over conventional site built construction.
If these first nine homes, which are scheduled to begin being set this week, prove to be everything they hoped for, the agency has well over 100 other building lots in their inventory.
I’m not sure who suggested using modular homes for this project but it was a smart choice to do it. Champion and New Era have a proven track record of success in doing large projects.
Other Land Bank agencies in the state are watching what happens in Kent County and if it works as expected, look for more modular housing being used to meet the state’s affordable housing needs.
CLICK HERE to read the entire WZZM13 article and watch the video
