Developer presents 50-unit workforce housing plan for Show Low, seeks district support

Jim Hammett, a consultant with White Mountain Advisory Group, told the Show Low Unified District Board of Education on March meeting night that his group is working with the City of Show Low on a proposed workforce housing project intended primarily for teachers, first responders, health care and retail workers.

Hammett said the project would be “approximately 50 units,” located on a parcel under contract on East Wolford at Eighth Street that he described as already entitled and convenient. He said the units would be factory‑built by a company he identified as Zenni Homes and that the development would mainly offer two‑ and three‑bedroom walk‑up apartments. Hammett estimated a construction timeline of about 24 months from approval and said the city would own the site after the contract assignment.

The presenter described the units as income‑restricted and repeatedly referenced affordability targets during questions from the board. In his remarks he said the project would be “restricted for the income, between the 80% and a 20%” (as spoken). He also described a proposed district stipend to bridge the gap between teacher incomes and market rents: at one point Hammett said an example stipend would be approximately $550 a month, and he later cautioned that the slide illustrations showing stipends reflected annual figures rather than monthly ones (as presented).

City staff in attendance described the housing shortage as an areawide workforce issue that affects teacher recruitment and business attraction. Board members asked where the project would be located, whether the buildings were modular or mobile, and what bedroom sizes would be available. Hammett said the units will be light‑gauge steel factory‑built modules that meet the International Building Code, not HUD manufactured housing, and emphasized a 60‑year lifecycle for the construction method he described.

Hammett said a market study included in the project's due diligence identified a deficit of about 900 workforce housing units within the city and that the developer has had preliminary conversations with the local hospital and college. He asked the board to consider providing a letter of support to the city and said the developer would work with district administration to determine fiscal implications should the district request a master lease or set aside a number of units for district employees.

No formal district action was taken at the meeting on the housing proposal; the presenter requested a letter of support and said the developer would return with a more detailed master lease proposal and feasibility results.

Clarifying details captured from the presentation include: the developer repeatedly referenced roughly 50 units; the proposed unit mix is primarily two‑ and three‑bedrooms; the parcel is on East Wolford at Eighth Street and is described as entitled; the presenter gave an approximate 24‑month construction timeline; a stipend example of about $550 per month was mentioned, but the presenter also stated some slide figures were annual rather than monthly.