Vandenberg Air Force Base Military Housing Ends Six-Year Makeover Process

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

The housing component at Vandenberg Air Force Base has received a major boost as the initial development period finally comes to an end. A partnership between Balfour Beatty Communiites LLC and Hensel Phelps Construction Company handled the renovation and construction of new military housing units at the base. The total investment made during the six-year interval now stands at around $158 million. Balfour Beatty Communities currently deals with a range of residential projects including multifamily, military and student housing. With the initial development period now over, the developer and property manager has increased the number of units it handles at the Vandenberg AFB to almost 1,000.

Started back in 2007, the development process has seen the partnership build around 160 brand-new homes, while 500 outdated housing units had to be taken down. A further 700 homes underwent extensive renovation operations at the Air Force Base. Also part of the lengthy development process was the construction of a new community center offering residents 6,200 square feet of common space. A pool as well as a number of multi-purpose rooms are included in the new amenity package which features parks, athletic facilities, bus shelters, perimeter fencing, and substantially improved infrastructure. The community will feature a new 2,400 square-foot maintenance facility.

Vandenberg AFB’s new residential component was built with energy efficiency in mind and to achieve that, most of the materials obtained through the renovation and demolition processes were reused to as great an extent as possible. New materials were locally sourced, local contractors were used meaning that around 80 percent of the investment went into the local community, while the construction process itself was carried out with the use of low voltage lighting, tankless hot water systems, Energy Star appliances, high efficiency furnaces, low-flow plumbing fixtures and low-VOC construction materials. Water conservation was also a priority as well as the use of native plants for the landscaping.

Image courtesy of vandenbergfamilyhousing.com