EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (KERO) — Edwards Air Force Base officials break ground on new apartment complex that is the first of its kind and sets a standard.
- Edwards Air Force Base's first privatized apartment complex will feature 142 apartments with 246 beds.
- The apartments are expected to be ready for move-in by the summer of 2026.
- The project addresses the active-duty housing shortage that is common among military bases, according to a press release.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
A ceremony at Edwards Air Force Base was groundbreaking in more ways than one…
I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter... The U.S. Air Force Base announced its first-ever privatized apartment complex to house over 300 occupants…
Officials tell me the project is the first of its kind and sets a new standard.
"A commercial venture is something we haven't done before in the United States Air Force, but we're willing to try something new to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the quality of life that they deserve," says Ravi Chaudhary, Asst. Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations and Environment.
Chaudhary tells me he was excited to travel from the Pentagon to be at Edwards for what he called a momentous event.
He was among those who spoke about the project that will become the model for future housing at military bases.
"The future of the Air Force is built at Edwards Air Force base," Chaudhary says.
The project will feature 142 apartments with 246 beds. They are expected to be ready for move-in by the summer of 2026.
"Our airmen have very tough jobs. And, at some of our remote and isolated installations, they don't have good quality housing close by. Perhaps there's not just a sufficient amount, so the opportunity to demonstrate that this works will be key for other installations also doing the same," says Col. Douglas Wickert, Test Wing Commander, Edwards AFB.
The apartments are expected to house many single active-duty members.
"Family demographics have changed. We have a lot of single individuals entering the Air Force who do not necessarily have families. So having an on-base, safe, affordable option for single airmen to be able to get a house on the installation is great," says Col. Joel Purcell, Commander, Civil Engineer Group, Edwards AFB.
According to a press release, the project addresses the active-duty housing shortage that is common among military bases.
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