CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE –
The Air Force announced Aug. 30 that Forest City Military Communities LLC was selected as the offeror to move the air base portion of Joint Base Charleston into the future with new base housing through privatization.
After the initial development period, Airmen and their families who choose to live on base will occupy the new privatized units.
Right now, families who live on base are residing in 1960-era homes that are small, lack storage space, and garages.
"The existing homes are beyond their life expectancy," said Stephen Campbell, Capital Asset Management/Housing chief.
It will be awhile before the new homes are constructed, but leadership is very excited about what the privatized housing initiative means for the base.
"It's important because a lot of the homes are either undersized or are in poor conditions -- mechanical, electrical issues," said Col. Ben Wham, 628th Mission Support Group commander. "What we're doing is rebuilding the community on this installation."
According to the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, it wasn't until the mid 1990s when Congress recognized that, "that nearly half of the houses on Air Force installations were in dire need of renovation and repairs, and military funding could not cover the cost of renovating them or building new ones."
Through this the Military Housing Privatization Initiative was born.
"The initiative allows the Air Force to privatize the housing on all domestic Air Force installations. Housing Privatization shifts the renovations, construction, operations and maintenance responsibilities of family housing to the private sector, whose expertise is to build and manage housing assets, allowing the Air Force to focus on the mission and its Airmen," as cited on the AFCEE web site.
Under the current deal, the Air Force will lease 279 acres of land at the air base as part of a 50-year lease.
As part of housing privatization, Forest City will demolish the 479 existing units on base and will then construct a minimum of 345 new units over the next four years, said Mr. Campbell.
"We hope this will help us recreate a sense of community," said Colonel Wham. "They won't just build houses; they'll build streets, play grounds and community centers."
How will the current demolition and future construction affect families already living in base housing?
Currently Southside Housing area is going through the first phase of demolition preparing the base for housing privatization.
The residents who occupied those homes, have since been moved into housing over in Hundley Park, said Mr. Campbell.
The overall goal is to phase the construction so families will only have to move one time, said Colonel Wham.
AFCEE says almost 70 percent of base housing Air Force-wide has been privatized. That equates to approximately 38,000 new units that have been built for Air Force families.
"We're proud to have been chosen for this project and to have an even greater opportunity to improve the quality of life and sense of community for military families across the country," said Charles Ratner, Forest City president and chief executive officer in a news release earlier this week.
Phase one of housing privatization is tentatively scheduled to begin in April 2011.
Benefits of Living in Privatized Housing
Development Benefits
· More square footage than traditional military construction
· Quality construction
· Modern appliances, cabinetry and fixtures
· Lawn maintenance at some communities
· Garages vs. carports in most homes
Community Benefits
· Playgrounds
· Community Centers
· Swimming pools
· Basketball/Volleyball/Tennis Courts
· Community Activities such as:
o Educational/Safety events
o Holiday celebrations
o Family and community bonding activities
Cost Benefits
· Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) covers all rent
· Utility Allowance provided - efficient energy use means no out-of-pocket expenses
· Renter's insurance provided at most communities
· Convenient access to work and base services