Local construction companies aim to nearly double affordable housing production

RAPID CITY, S.D. — The arrival of the B-21 Raider will bring thousands of airmen and their families to Ellsworth Air Force Base.

Multiplying the size of the Box Elder community and providing growth opportunity for businesses in the Black Hills.

But that growth is coming in the midst of an already difficult housing situation.

“We haven’t seen this kind of growth, we haven’t seen, you know, the combination of a base, you know, the Air Force base expansion with natural growth, with a large influx of people moving to this area,” said Kyle Treloar, the Vice President of Dream Design International.

Pressure now mounting on construction companies who will be asked to nearly double their current production to keep up with the demand – not to mention the current demand for housing in the area with the recent growth in the Black Hills.

Treloar also pointed to the fact the current construction conditions also point at the difficulty in the areas building of schools and other buildings like hospitals and commercial buildings.

This problem is compounded by companies looking to bring on a slew of workers – but the question remains – where will they live?

“We are seeing some of those trades move into this area too, so as we continue to see that added demand, we will have more people moving in to meet that,” Treloar said. “That goes back to that affordable housing though and where can these additional people live, which is still another issue.”

Resources like lumber prices further complicating building operations.

That fluctuation in pricing and demand is even postponing projects.

“We’ve had some projects cancel or go on pause because of the cost of materials,” said Mike Arnold, the Director of Marketing at Scull Construction. “It’s a little better now but still not great. We still got a lot of demand.”

Despite the mounting challenges, the companies are saying partnerships with each other is their best shot out.

“When we all have the same goals and we’re working together through these partnerships, that’s when we see the most success,” Treloar said.

Black Hills construction companies that are planning ahead to solve the growth housing issue.