A rendering of Corby and Benson houses at 58th and Corby Streets in the Benson area of Omaha. The infill housing and small accessory dwelling concept, which was designed and led by Nebraska graduate-level students, addresses the growing need for workforce and aging-ready housing. (Courtesy of UNL Fabrication And Construction Team, FACT)
OMAHA — An eclectic area of Omaha is soon to meet new neighbors, Corby and Benson.
Corby and Benson are names of two atypical housing prototypes — smaller than average and likely to require shedding some belongings. But they’re easier on the pocketbook than a median priced newly constructed house and can fit on odd-sized, unconventional and infill lots.
Their creators — graduate-level architecture students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and nonprofit Partners for Livable Omaha — are hoping they’ll inspire a trend that helps ease the state’s housing affordability crisis as well as the needs of a growing elderly population.
“We really think of this as part of a set of solutions for the housing crisis,” said Jeffrey Day, UNL professor and founder of Actual Architecture Co. “It’s not THE solution, but it’s one that can contribute to the really extreme demand in small towns and all over. It’s a way of thinking about housing in a different way.”
Tackling housing woes
The Corby and Benson designs are the result of brainstorming by the UNL Fabrication And Construction Team (FACT), which is teaming with the Livable Omaha professionals to bring the models to life on the corner of 58th and Corby Streets in the Benson area.
Students mentored by Day were tasked with addressing challenges facing Omaha, the state and the nation, including a shrinking amount of developable land in such places as Omaha.
Exhibit opens today
The UNL College of Architecture’s FACT studio has chronicled the project it said takes aim at the “housing crisis and silver tsunami.”
“OurStory: Creating Aging-Ready Housing” will be on display Dec. 16-Jan. 10 at Dundee Bank’s Benson branch, 6073 Maple St., in Omaha.
A reception at the bank begins at 4:30 p.m. Monday, with a program at 5 p.m.
The public s invited to provide feedback on the concepts at https://www.factlab.org/project/ourstory.
Among the group’s considerations:
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According to Omaha’s Housing Affordability Action Plan, the city will need 30,000 new housing units by 2030, and 60% of that demand is for affordable dwellings.
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Statewide, a study led by the Nebraska Finance Investment Authority set a goal to produce at least 35,000 affordable housing units by 2028. The report said the state’s economic future hinges on solving its “housing crisis,” and called for cutting the share of low- to- moderate-income households paying more than 30% of their earnings for rent from about 44% to 33%.
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Overall, a tight supply of existing housing has exacerbated challenges for the growing number of baby boomers and seniors, especially those on fixed incomes, who want to downsize yet stay in familiar neighborhoods. Livable Omaha says people 65 and older make up 12% of the Omaha metro area and by 2050 will constitute nearly 16%.
The best of the student ideas were combined to create the prototype designs, which focus on affordability, efficiency and flexibility and allow homes to be built quickly and be easily adapted to the occupant’s needs.
To speed up construction capability and lower labor costs, the students — who are to be involved in all phases — recommended using pre-made components such as factory wall panels that can be assembled on site.
Hurdles to clear
Hurdles yet to be cleared include raising additional funding and securing city approvals. If all goes as planned, the for-sale Corby and Benson houses are to rise side-by-side on a divided lot next May.
Not including lot cost, the price of the one-bedroom Benson, which spans 618 square feet, is estimated at $150,000 to $165,000. The Corby, a bit larger with two bedrooms and 774 square feet, has an estimated cost of $190,000 to $200,000.
Jessica Scheuerman, founder and executive director of Partners for Livable Omaha, said the hope is to sell the first homes and produce more, perhaps with variations that suit the location and buyer.
“There has never been a better time to explore these concepts, especially with Omaha’s new ordinances making it easier to build ADUs,” Scheuerman said.
Accessory dwelling units — also known as granny flats, in-law units, carriage or back houses — are second, smaller homes on the same lot as a primary house. They can stand alone or be attached to the larger house. Omaha’s City Council earlier this year passed an ordinance allowing ADUs citywide, though building them in lower-density neighborhoods requires a more extensive approval process.
‘Everyone wins’
While a key target population for the UNL student design project was senior citizens, Scheuerman and Day envision the small houses as a way communities also could beef up needed housing for working families. They also could attract middle-income renters seeking to transition into homeowners and build equity.
“Everyone wins if we have more options for aging-ready ADUs and infill housing,” Scheuerman said.
Also gaining in real-world experience are the architecture students, some of whom have never bought their own refrigerator, Day said. They’re learning to balance creative vision with practical constraints, he said, and will stick with the project through financing and construction.
Housing development is a new area for the Livable Omaha nonprofit, Scheuerman said, and the organization has guidance from experts. Holy Name Housing, for instance, will serve as general contractor on the first two dwellings to be built.
Scheuerman said she is eager to meet the buyers, whether they are a 23-year-old first-time homebuyer or a 72-year-old moving into their rest-of-life home. They will be her neighbors, as Scheuerman lives just about a half-block away.
She said the Benson area was selected as the kickoff spot in part because the two dwellings would fit into the diverse area. Also nearby are a vibrant commercial district and community center.
The project partners will evaluate the pilot to determine how to continue, Scheuerman said.
“I’m hopeful this is the beginning and not a one-off project,” she said. “I want to see us building more.”
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