Plans are moving forward quickly on the construction of a 237,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Grand Junction, Colorado.
The size and scope of the project are significant in a part of the state not known for large production facilities, but even more intriguing is the plant’s mission: to build modular housing components.
The project will go on just under 180 acres of former farmland on the northwest side of the city, and will belong to a company called Mosaic Housing, which has offices in Denver and specializes in the building of modular housing.
It is expected that it will cost at least $48 million to build the new manufacturing facility, which will encompass around 16 acres of the site owned by Mosaic. The rest of the property will be given over to the apartment units manufactured by the company.
Work on what is being described as the “largest, fastest, indoor manufacturing facility” in the country may launch later this year, with an immediate goal of building just over 300 apartments.
Future production out of the Mosaic Housing plant may also see the construction and assembling of around 200 townhomes.
All the produced residential units will be done at the plant with the help of robotics and software, according to company officials.
Modular homes, notes the publication Forbes, are “another form of prefabricated houses that are at least 70% prefabricated,” combining modern fabrication technology with modern design.
Industry sources indicate that the modular home market is expected to increase by at least 2% annually for the rest of the decade, with the vast majority of product centered on both single family and multifamily construction.
By Garry Boulard
