Developers plan micro-home neighborhoods

BERTHOUD — With average home resale prices in the Loveland/Berthoud area hitting a half million dollars, finding starter homes or places for older residents to downsize can frustrate many.

Within several months, one solution may begin to be available in a micro-home neighborhood in Berthoud. Longtime Realtors Kurt Albers and partner Doug Jennings will begin development of the 10-acre project, called The Meadows, after receiving town approvals. Walt Elish, economic development manager for Berthoud, said the planning department has had discussions about it but has not received a submittal from the partners. 

If the two have their way, it will be the first of several micro-home developments in the region, with Campion and Evans on their radar initially. Micro homes are their solution to the high cost of housing.

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Micro homes are by definition one step up in size from tiny homes. Tiny homes are homes 500 square feet or smaller and often are mounted on wheels instead of a foundation. Micro homes are 700 square feet or larger, usually not larger than 1,200 or so square feet.

Albers said his vision for dealing with the escalating cost of housing came during an affordable housing commission meeting where it was discussed that because of the high cost of land and water in the region, housing either had to be smaller or be taller with a smaller footprint.

A designer by training, he began to explore house designs that could be built smaller without venturing into the tiny home realm. “We want to provide people with a place with a roof over their heads that they can own,” Albers said.

The Berthoud project will be a neighborhood design that will include 100 units built around greenbelts, community gardens and a community center. “It’s similar to an old town,” Albers said.

Garages and carports are optional. Solar will be added if it can be made to work with the pricing plan.

The smallest homes will be ranch models at about 700 square feet. The largest homes will be two-story cottages totalling 1,180 square feet. Prices will range from about $235,000 for the smallest to $335,000 for the largest.

The new Berthoud community recreation center is across the street from the development. “That means I don’t have to put that money in,” he said of the recreational amenities that will be available nearby.

Albers said that Berthoud has unofficially signed off the concept as long as 90% of the homes are owner occupied and as long as homes that are resold are sold to owner occupants.

The homes will be factory built using a Nebraska builder. Albers expects the neighborhood to be built out within a year of start — the builder has committed to producing nine units per month. 

Albers and Jennings are also negotiating on 24 acres in Campion that would hold 211 units, including some townhouses. A few of those homes would have basements. 

The Campion development would be similar to Berthoud’s project but would include limited commercial space — a general store and a few neighborhood offices, for example. 

The concept for Evans is still being considered. After that, Albers said he has had inquiries from Rapid City, South Dakota; Las Cruces, New Mexico; Austin, Texas and from Arizona.