New homes for soldiers and their families are coming to Fort Leonard Wood.
The military installation in the Ozarks, southwest of Rolla, has 1,800 homes on base, some built as long ago as the 1960s. They take on a lot of wear and tear with families moving in and out of the units about every two years.
Construction started this month on 56 new homes – 28 duplexes with three or four bedrooms for junior-level officers and their families.
Military and elected officials have been touting the construction of new housing on post for more than five years.
“We've been telling the community about this for quite some time,” said Col. Steven Bartley, Fort Leonard Wood’s Garrison Commander. “So now to see the shovels in the ground and now to see the streets being cleared and construction equipment coming in, the promise is being upheld.”
The homes are intended for families and will be built close to an elementary school, playgrounds and a community center.
“They include modern layouts, energy-efficient features and will also have three Americans with Disability Act-compliant homes to ensure accessibility,” said Shawna Swanson, a vice president with Balfour Beatty, the private company that manages the base’s housing.
Homes at military installations around the country came under fire in 2019 when a survey showed soldiers and their families endured substandard housing and were often afraid to speak up.
Fort Leonard Wood responded by adding staff to handle complaints and relaunching a program through which each neighborhood would have its own mayor to help improve conditions.
In addition to the new homes that will become available over the next few years, the $50 million project that started this week will include the demolition of some older homes and improvements to others.
The construction comes as Fort Leonard Wood is wrapping up work on a new $400 million hospital and is adding to the number of basic training companies.
Bartley said those investments show how much the Army and the surrounding communities value Fort Leonard Wood and could mean more new homes in the future.
“We could use another several hundred homes to get back to where the overall housing infrastructure meets the current expectations,” he said. “Until then we will continue to do what we have always done – providing safe and ready homes.”
