Rising Building Costs Bring Habitat for Humanity Project to a Halt in College Station
College Station, Texas — In a turn of events, an ambitious housing project by Habitat for Humanity in College Station has been canceled due to skyrocketing building costs. The project was initially backed by a 2017 grant from the City of College Station, but after the cost per house doubled over seven years, the project was no longer feasible.
The End of an Ambitious Project
During a city council meeting, the City of College Station and Habitat for Humanity mutually agreed to terminate the contract of the housing project. When the grant was awarded in 2017, the non-profit organization had projected a sum of $187,000 per house. As of 2024, the cost had increased to a staggering $448,000 per house, leading to the cancellation of the project.
As per the arrangement, BCS Habitat for Humanity will be selling the property and reimbursing the City of College Station. Furthermore, $65,000 will be returned to the federal government.
The Challenges Faced
Habitat for Humanity, known nationwide for their efforts in building homes, faced several challenges with the property off Victoria Avenue in College Station. One of the major issues faced was with drainage, in addition to the difficulties involved in developing the property.
Andry York of Bryan-College Station Habitat for Humanity shed some light on the issues faced by the organization, saying, “All the available land to build new construction that was normal or easy to develop has been done. The properties that still exist have issues, and that’s what we ran into here with this particular piece of land.”
Looking at the Road Ahead
Despite the cancellation of the project, Habitat for Humanity remains optimistic about their future endeavours. Over the years, the organization has built around 35 homes in College Station.
York commented on the future course of action, hinting that the organization might look into remodeling existing homes rather than building from scratch, given the rising costs of development.
He further added, “It’s one of many projects that we’ve got, and really one of our smaller projects. It’s very disappointing, especially for the families who were hoping to live there in College Station, but it doesn’t change what we’re able to do.”
Despite the unexpected cancellation, the community remains hopeful for the valuable work of Habitat for Humanity in College Station.