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A History of Innovation in Colorado Springs
Industry Development A HISTORY OF INNOVATION IN COLORADO SPRINGS
by Bruce Thompson
HHousing continues to struggle to meet the current demand.
There is a national shortage of four million units, according to recent information from the Joint Housing
Studies Program at Harvard University. In many parts of the U.S., soaring prices have pulled home ownership beyond the reach of many Americans. While there is no single solution, offsite construction is growing as a percent of total production due to its predictability in cost, timing, and quality, as well as efficiencies in labor and material. For many of us involved in housing, we dream about what the world would look like today, for instance, if Sears had kept producing its catalog homes. During the course of 30 years, more than 100,000 standard floor plans were built. I truly believe that if this pace of innovation and distribution had persisted, there would be an entirely different housing supply chain and far less of a shortage. To better understand how far advanced Sears was at the time, it is helpful to look at what is thought to be among the first Sears homes in the country, brought by rail to
Colorado Springs well over 100 years ago.
John Clear, the owner of the Sears home, wrote this testimonial for a local newspaper, The Gazette, following construction:
“I am just as well pleased today, three years after building, as I was at the time everything was new. I will state that I am more than pleased with my home built by my plans and your material. The quality of the material furnished by you far surpasses any that is being furnished for other houses being built right here, and your prices are fully 50 per cent lower. I received my entire order in a little more than two weeks from the time you shipped it from your factory and not a single article was damaged and was packed in fine shape.”
In many respects, it is a version of “Back to the Future” this summer in Colorado Springs. K2 Home Builders is introducing standard floorplans built offsite by URBANEER into urban infill sites in the Bott Street neighborhood, platted in the 1880s by real estate developer Anthony Bott. Arriving from France as part of the 1859 gold rush,
Bott became a successful businessperson and had a major impact on an area at the time known as Colorado City, later incorporated into the city of Colorado Springs.
When the Bott Street neighborhood was established 130 years ago, it represented the rapidly changing needs of 19th century inhabitants. At the time, many towns in the West were transitioning from first wave to a second wave society, as noted by futurist Alvin Toffler in the book “The Third Wave." As people moved west in the second wave, fewer came to farm and more were drawn to mining and to city centers and the related industrial-era jobs. Second wave housing represented the innovation of the day, featuring indoor plumbing, the telephone, and electricity. Most of the homes were single story, compact structures that met the needs of a new demographic trend — the nuclear family.
Fast forward to the 2020s and consider the changes in both household composition and the new market demands as we fully enter that “third wave economy." One in five households consists of solo occupants and another one in five is multi-generational. The “electronic cottage” that Toffler envisioned is now called work-from-home and for many of us that routine will migrate to part-time office and home. The world of 8-to-5 work and exclusive in-class instruction has permanently transformed.
The city of Colorado Springs, like many nationwide, is feeling the effects of the housing shortage. A year ago there were over 1,000 homes in the city priced under $600,000, according to Mayor John Suthers. Today, there are 19.
The shortage is especially true within the “missing middle housing spectrum” as defined by Opticos Design. Missing middle housing touches on both price and housing type, many of which were allowed in the past but are generally precluded in current zoning. Structures that have been zoned out of the market include accessory dwelling units, duplexes, fourplexes and other multi-family buildings.
Builders today will tell you they duck to avoid the missing middle housing market due to economics. Larger custom homes are more profitable to build. Although 20% of new home buyers surveyed by RLCO expressed »
interest in homes under 1,500 square feet, the average new home size continues to be 2,400 square feet. Housing starts pale in comparison to current market demand, both in terms of features and price points.
Homes on Long, Narrow Lots
K2 Homes is up for the challenge and will build 21st century homes on the long and narrow lots that were platted long ago by Anthony Bott. Principles Bridger Kucinski and Necole Austin understand the changing market and the need for a new development approach.
They are targeting buyers who are willing to trade square footage for price point, location, and home features.
K2 Homes has embraced offsite construction as an approach to achieve a more predictable cost, delivery date, and quality standard. Within a span of six months, the company will deliver turnkey homes to a market desperate for more housing units.
Kucinski said he was introduced to offsite construction a few years back by a business partner. He, Austin, and other colleagues went on a bit of an odyssey to find a builder who could provide the homes they all had their minds set on.
“Infill and urban density can be achieved by shrinking living spaces and creating a new American dream,” Kucinski said. “A dream where simplistic living and a sense of community promotes happy, responsible, and meaningful lives. Housing innovation allows people to get more out of less, thereby simplifying their lives, allowing them more time for adventures or relationships, all while cutting down our environmental footprint.”
The initial units will serve as a pilot for future projects.
The location is a key selling point. Just 1.5 miles north of the famous Broadmoor hotel that has accommodated almost every president in office since Dwight Eisenhower. It is walking distance to old Colorado City and Red Rock Canyon, a 1,474acre open space, and is about a block to the west with multiple trailhead access points moments away. Colorado Springs is a bicycle-friendly city with dedicated bike lanes. Bott Park sits across the street corner to the east and offers tennis, basketball, a playground, and picnic shelter. At the end of Bott Park are local shops, restaurants, a micro-brewery, and offices.
The world is changing, and there is a need for new approaches to housing that deliver more than what meets the demands of decades and centuries passed. The concept of 21st century living with K2 Homes, like with Anthony Bott in the 1880s, is a pioneering effort that opens new frontiers for next-generation home buyers. MHV
Bruce Thompson’s career is the convergence of two passions: the built environment and the digital revolution. After a 20-year career in the global technology industry. he and his wife Brenda founded URBANEER to help relieve the housing crisis through innovative solutions that create compact, configurable, and connected living spaces.
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