Edwards Air Force Base has broken ground on the service’s first privatized on-base apartment complex, a move aimed at curbing an ongoing housing shortage for airmen stationed at the massive installation in Southern California.
The base, home to the 412th Test Wing, has faced housing issues for its more than 10,000 military and civilian personnel across the 481-square-mile installation. Long wait times for the dorms or on-base housing are common. This new complex — which has been approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget — will eventually provide 142 apartments with a total of 246 beds for airmen.
“Many airmen at the 412th Test Wing have been impacted by the shortage of housing options on or in proximity to the base. That’s why we’re going to flip the script and try something new, something tailored for the men and women who serve here and to our families,” Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, said in a news release Tuesday. “I can say this: We hear you, we see you, but now it’s time to deliver for you.”
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The project will be overseen by Mayroad, which is responsible for private housing on the base, and aims to get senior airmen with ranks of E-4 and above, as well as students of the Test Pilot School, into the units. The service hopes it will allow for…