Armour, SD

The Horizons Housing Committee has made a great deal of progress in its pursuit of constructing three new homes in Armour. This project would be a partnership with South Dakota State University to study the energy efficiency of the homes. We’ve also learned that there is interest in constructing a weather station in the new neighborhood to further enhance the study of construction methods and energy efficiency.

So far, there are three locations with vacant lots in town whose owners are willing to sell the property for the Horizons Project. Here are pictures of the vacant lots with location information …

Southwest Edge of Armour • Two Lots

East Edge of Armour • One Large Parcel
Suitable to Create Subdivision for Multiple Houses

Northwest End of Armour • One Lot
Approximately 1/2 Block Wide by 1 Block Long

 

 

Cost for each 150×150 foot lot would be approximately $2,000. The property owners have been informally approached about the proposed housing projects and all are amenable to a potential property sale.

The Housing Committee has even selected three different sets of plans for the homes. Each home would be approximately 1,500 to 1,800 square feet with three bedrooms and a two-car garage. Here are examples of the floor plans and exterior details … (click on photo to enlarge)

 

Option 1

 

 

Option 2

 

 

Option 3

 

Two local builders have estimated the cost of construction for these types of homes to be approximately $100-$120 per square foot. Utility hookups from the city would be $350 for sewer and $250 for water for each home. It would cost approximately $20 per running foot to run sewer and water from the city hookups to each house.

The Housing Committee has also talked with people in town who may be in the market for an upgrade to their current residence. There is definitely interest in new home construction … we’ve identified at least three families who would be interested in being the eventual owners of these proposed homes.

So what’s next? Show us the money!!! The Housing Committee will continue to work with our Horizons Adviser Dave Olson from SDSU to explore funding options. We’ll talk to governmental agencies and local and area lenders such as First State Bank in Armour, Wells Fargo in Mitchell and First Dakota National in Mitchell.

What do you think of this project. Any ideas or suggestions? Please leave your comments!

This entry was posted on Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 6:15 pm and is filed under 03. Poverty: Action, 11. Community: Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.