For one Sitkan, a dream of debt-free home ownership came in the form of a trailer
Posted by Erin McKinstry, KCAW | May 21, 2021
Sitkan Robin Schmid stands in front of her renovated trailer home. She paid $75,000 for it, around a fifth of what she would’ve paid for a house that still needed a lot of work. (Erin McKinstry/KCAW)
When people think of trailer homes, many envision shoddy construction and unhealthy living conditions, but in places like Sitka where construction costs are high and land availability is low, they’re an important affordable housing alternative. For one Sitkan, renovating a trailer provided a path to debt-free home ownership, and this resident is not the only one looking beyond the stigma of trailer living.
A year after Sitka made space for tiny homes, no one is building them
Posted by Erin McKinstry, KCAW | May 7, 2021
Stephanie Kruse and her husband paid a company in British Columbia to build their roughly 8.5 x 20 foot tiny home. Living in it allowed them to save money for travel and a down payment on a traditional house. (Photo by Erin McKinstry/KCAW)
Tiny homes have gained traction in recent years as an affordable housing alternative, but building them legally poses challenges in many communities. Sitka was one of the first cities in the country to introduce a set of tiny home friendly code changes last year. But, a year after passing the groundbreaking ordinance, no one is building them.
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Sitka’s getting its largest apartment complex in over two decades. But the developer says it doesn’t pencil out.
Posted by Erin McKinstry, KCAW | Apr 30, 2021
Developer and land owner John Hardwick and property manager Vicki D’Amico stand in front of the new 10-plex under construction at Sealing Cove. The estimated completion date is May 15. (Photo by Erin McKinstry/KCAW)
When land is scarce, one way to make housing more affordable is to increase density by building apartment complexes and multi-family homes. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. In Sitka, the largest apartment building in over two decades is going up, but the ten units will be more costly than the market average. A developer behind the project says the economics just don’t pencil out.