Housing Crisis- Williston North Dakota

In these uncertain economic times, people are searching far and wide to find good-paying jobs. One of the areas of the country that has recently been immune to the financial troubles found elsewhere is North Dakota. In fact, the oil boom centered in Williston, North Dakota is creating so many jobs that people from all over the country are flooding the area to find work. With so many people invading a small town like Williston, housing is at a premium.

Although people coming to work the oil jobs in Williston are able to find work right away, they sometimes have trouble finding a place to live. Some people are forced to live in campers and cars, and others find themselves living in tents. This is an especially dire situation when the temperature drops below freezing as it does for several months out of the year in this northern state.

Even those able to find places to live are often forced to live in less than ideal conditions. Some people live in motels for months at a time. Others share space in cramped conditions. They all are willing to face the harsh living situations they encounter to earn the lucrative paychecks they receive working in North Dakota’s booming oil industry.

Luckily, this housing situation is not as dire as it once was. The key to improving the housing in North Dakota is the creation of many new homes that are built with modular construction. Modular homes can be constructed very quickly because they are built in off-site climate controlled factories. This avoids any construction delays due to poor weather conditions.

For people who are looking for housing in North Dakota, modular construction proves a great solution; offering both permanent and temporary housing options suitable for North Dakota’s growing workforce.

Find suitable housing today! Click here for more information.

North Dakota - Fastest Growing Housing Market in the U.S.

Fastest Growing Housing Market in the U.S.

With the economy booming in North Dakota, there is an extremely low unemployment rate due to the plenty of oil fields. The increase of employment has resulted in a housing shortage and workers often have difficulty finding a place to live.

As a result, housing construction is a booming industry in the North DakotaBakken region.

Construction companies are having an issue keeping up with the growing demand for more homes and the inclement weather. Not only is it difficult to pour concrete or start projects in the winter, it is also difficult to ship supplies or have a construction crew work in cold conditions.

With modular construction, prefabricated homes are built in a climate-controlled factory off-site, ensuring high quality construction while protecting materials and workers from the outdoor elements. This allows modular homes in North Dakota to be built 40 percent faster than traditionally built homes.

Although prefabricated homes are built quickly, there is no sacrifice in quality. Building codes and standards are often met and exceeded. This allows modular homes to withstand the transportation to the site but also the harsh weather in North Dakota.

As North Dakota grows, local politicians and business leaders will need to worry about the influx of people and the lack of affordable Bakken housing. Without a doubt, the problem is not going to disappear; fortunately, with modular housing, one may enjoy a modern and updated home with all the amenities and benefits of a typical house in record time.

Contact us today for more information on our Modular Home Solutions in the North Dakota Baken region.

Modular North Dakota Homes - Solving the Housing Shortage

Modular North Dakota Homes

As Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” Although he was not writing about the oilfield boom in North Dakota, the same can be said for oilfield workers and their employers when it comes to the housing shortage in North Dakota. As oil extraction projects continue to grow and companies continue to hire more staff, the housing and infrastructure in the region is a primary concern.

North Dakota has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. Jobs are plentiful due to the thriving oil and gas business in the Bakken shale area. However, the North Dakota housing demand continues to be extremely high. The growing population in this area makes modular homes a perfect housing solution.

Having adequate housing in North Dakota is crucial because of the extreme climate during the winter time. With several months of freezing temperatures there is a much smaller window for the construction of homes in North Dakota and throughout the Bakken region. Site built homes simply take too long and are not the most viable option for meeting the extraordinary demand for housing. Modular construction is a fast and reliable option that is not greatly impacted by weather. Because the majority of construction takes place off-site in a climate controlled factory, projects are completed up to 40% faster with little to no delays caused by weather.

Modular housing provides a safe, sturdy alternative to traditionally built housing in North Dakota. It provides families with an attractive home constructed with many of the same features of a site built home. Today, many modular homes feature granite counter tops, upgraded cabinetry and hardwood floors. Modular homes are a great housing solution for both companies looking to house their employees and families that have relocated to this booming region.

Contact us today for more information on Modular Housing Solutions in North Dakota.

CREW CAMPS: Managing the Temporary

Temporary housing has been a hot topic in northwestern North Dakota for several years as communities continually struggle to accommodate the thousands of new residents who have converged on the region to power the Bakken’s energy boom. Whether described as man camps, crew camps, workforce housing, or extended-stay hotels, temporary lodging has come to be viewed by some as a necessary evil that should exist only until permanent housing is built; others see it as the solution to what may be a long-term, but still temporary, population explosion.

As other counties throughout the region grapple with how to prepare for an onslaught of construction workers as large projects such as fertilizer plants and diesel refineries are built, the topic of temporary versus permanent housing is no longer just a Williston Basin issue. Do you encourage new developments with the hopes of attracting new permanent residents, or do you embrace temporary housing? If you allow temporary housing, how do you control the quality of the operations? It’s up to each county to determine regulations and housing strategies, but thanks to the last several years of boom times in western North Dakota, there are now examples for others to learn from.

Heart of the matter

Williams County, which includes the city of Williston, has had the often unenviable experience of being the epicenter of the largest oil boom of our time. For half a decade, the county has served as Ground Zero for magnificent growth, and all of its side effects. Crew camp lodges and RV parks of varying degrees of quality began springing up seemingly overnight as the boom began and provided shelter for workers when other housing wasn’t available. They have now become common sights along the roadways of Williams County, but county officials would prefer to limit, and eventually eliminate, temporary housing in favor of newly built permanent residences. In 2011, the county placed a moratorium on new temporary housing units while it evaluated options and growth patterns, allowing only those with previously approved permits to operate. After two years of deliberations, the commission recently decided to gradually phase-out existing temporary housing facilities. As part of the decision, RV parks in the county will be allowed to operate only until October 2014. Other temporary housing facilities must apply for conditional use permits and, if approved, will be allowed to operate until 2015.

Frustrating situation

For operators of temporary housing facilities, the county’s delayed decision making has meant two years of uncertainty and frustration. Target Logistics, the largest provider of turnkey workforce housing in the U.S., provides more than 4,000 beds in the state, about half of which are spread throughout seven facilities within Williams County. Travis Kelly, Target Logistics’ North Dakota region vice president, says that as a resident of Williston he understands the county’s desire to re-evaluate the housing situation and encourage permanent residents to join the community, but he is frustrated with the length of time the county took to make a decision and believes that eliminating temporary housing is not the most effective way to encourage workers to make the Williston Basin their permanent home.

“I understand the desire for growth in the community,” he says. “I get it. The more rooftops you get in, the more attractive of a community it is to bring in some of the larger department stores, which is going to enhance the quality of life and hopefully attract more families. But I think that’s going to happen naturally. You will attract some families to come here and make it home, it’s just not going to be at the scale the county would like.”

Of the more than 2,500 beds under Target Logistics roofs in Williams County, the number of vacant spaces at those facilities in mid-July numbered in the single digits. Target Logistics’ properties are consistently fully booked in the area but Kelly says he agrees with the county’s position that the market for temporary lodging in Williams County is fairly saturated, adding that if it were allowed to expand, Target Logistics would only add about 100 to 200 new beds in the Williston area. However, he emphasizes that the existing temporary housing serves a legitimate need, which will continue for several years, and offers more positives than negatives to the region. For example, while it is widely held that the Williston Basin boom will last for at least 20 years, should the boom suddenly go bust, temporary facilities are made to be moved and leave no lasting impact on the county’s infrastructure, whereas permanent housing would be vacated and left to the community to deal with. And while there may be a portion of workers who would like to obtain permanent housing, many of the region’s newcomers are working their way out of debt and need time to establish good credit history before they can qualify for financing to buy a home. “I think there are people who want to make this their home and be back together as a family, but it’s going to take a little more time,” he says. “You don’t crawl out of debt to purchase a home in 12 months.”

Kelly says another concern he has with the county’s phase-out plan is that there doesn’t seem to be a reasonable plan to accommodate residents of RV parks elsewhere when those camps are banned. “I think they’ve painted themselves into a corner somewhat in the fact that by the time the RVs have to go, those folks either have to buy a home, find an apartment to lease, or they’re just gone all together,” he says. “And we know that’s not going to happen. They’ll just find a better place to hide.”

Uncertain impacts

Will the hiding place become surrounding counties that do not have the same types of restrictions in place? That remains to be seen, but it is a likely possibility. Ray Pacheco, Williams County planning director, says he’s not sure what impact the county’s phase-out plan will have on bordering counties and that the counties have not worked together to develop to a regional plan. “County and city planners are so busy that it’s hard to get together and brainstorm or come up with solutions,” he says. “There are a lot of good things you can take from other counties. We just don’t have a lot of time to sit and chat.”

Pacheco says he hasn’t heard any complaints from temporary housing operators regarding the phase-out plan, but he also agrees that temporary facilities are a necessary solution to Williams County’s housing issues, at least for now. “Until housing prices and rent prices drop, it will be hard for a lot of these companies to kick their employees out in a sense and say, ‘Now you have to go find an apartment,’ when nobody can afford the rent,” he says. “Just because [apartments and houses] are available, it doesn’t mean these guys are going to rush in and rent them, especially if they’re trying to bring their families here. The prices are just way too high at this point.”

With available housing priced out of the individual buyer’s range and temporary housing options eliminated, Kelly suggests that the outcome will be hundreds of unregulated “mini-man camps” consisting of houses that have been purchased by oil companies and used to provide lodging for a handful of workers. “That’s not how you grow a community,” he says. “I think the misconception is that if the oil company buys the house they’ll have the guy’s family move up and live in the house. That’s just not going to happen.”

Different state, same situation

Communities within the Permian Basin of Texas have been dealing with oil booms and busts since the 1920s. Compared to the Williston Basin, communities there have more infrastructure in place to accommodate new cycles of activity, but despite decades of experience, they continue to confront housing shortages with each boom and utilize temporary housing, to some extent, to fill the gap. Guy Edwards, economic development director for the Odessa Chamber of Commerce, says access to affordable housing is the No. 1 problem in the region and he expects it will be several years before available housing meets demand. He anticipates that when the housing supply catches up to demand, not all workers will seek permanent housing and some may not qualify for financing, so temporary housing will continue to serve a purpose for those workers. Odessa requires building permits for all temporary housing facilities, including RV parks, but the county does not, so most of the temporary housing in the county is located outside of city limits, he says.

According to Pecos Mayor Venetta Seals, available housing in the tiny town has become nearly non-existent and rental prices have skyrocketed, making temporary housing a necessity. Neither Pecos nor its county has restrictions on temporary housing, however, “we really don’t want any more,” she says. Currently, Pecos has one 200-bed facility in town. Three others are located outside city limits. Illegally parked RVs, of which there are many, are a major issue for the townspeople. Seals says she agrees that workforce housing provides a temporary means to an end, but the city would prefer to encourage the development of permanent housing at the risk of overbuilding. While she initially voted to allow workforce housing within the city, she does not anticipate approving plans for additional temporary housing units to be built within city limits. “I don’t know that I’d really want another one because we need those plots for permanent housing,” she says.

Plan ahead

Williams County may not have had the luxury of preplanning for its population explosion and the pros and cons of temporary housing, but Kelly and Pacheco recommend that communities in our region that are able to prepare for a sudden influx of workers can learn from what the county has been through and use that experience to their advantage.

For example, Kelly recommends that communities invite operators to the table to discuss what is possible and what is not when it comes to temporary housing facilities. “Education is a big thing,” he says. “I love to meet with communities and help them out. I understand as a resident what I’d like to see and what I wouldn’t like to see, but I also know what’s feasible and what is not.” He also urges other communities to put ordinances in place ahead of time and to establish permit fees for temporary housing and collect those fees before facilities are built. “That’s one thing Williams County didn’t do and it allowed a lot of these people who didn’t have any desire to operate a camp to go through the permitting process, get it ready and then try to dump it off on a third party that has no real vested interest in it,” he says.

Pacheco says he is willing to speak with fellow planners who are confronting similar issues to try to help resolve issues they may be facing. “Getting out of the office is not always the easiest thing when you’re going 24 hours a day on a job, but somehow it needs to be done.” PB

Written By: Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business

Source: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/15389/

N.D. tops country in housing growth rate

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s rate of housing growth is higher than any other state in the country, the governor’s office said July 2.


The state added 7,388 new housing units in 2012, a growth rate of 2.3 percent, according to estimates compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, while the country saw an average housing growth rate of 0.3 percent.


“The state is using several programs to facilitate the development of housing and our progress is proof that our strategies are working,” Gov. Jack Dalrymple said in a news release.


Williams County topped the U.S. Census Bureau’s list of the nation’s top 100 in housing growth with 1,525 new housing units, a 13.9 percent increase. Ward County followed with a 4.8 percent increase with 1,318 new housing units.


Stark County ranked eighth with a 3.1 percent increase. Cass County came in 23rd, having a 2 percent increase with 1,372 new housing units, and Grand Forks County saw a 1.4 percent increase with 401 new units, putting the county 58th on the list.

Source: http://www.prairiebizmag.com/event/article/id/15159/