Balfour Beatty Communities extends welcome to new residents

  • Published
  • By Technical Sgt. Tyrona Lawson
  • 30th Space Wing Public Affairs

Balfour Beatty Communities will now accept retired military members and federal civil service employees as welcomed applicants for privatized housing located at Vandenberg.

The initiative, an answer to dwindling occupancy numbers over the past six months, is an effort to increase housing residency and support monetary revenue in order to maintain the housing properties.

“The money the project gains through occupancy pays for all the normal bills,” said Gretchen Swinehart, 30th Civil Engineer Squadron Air Force housing management chief. “Money left over goes into a reinvestment account to sustain the homes long term.”

Contingency requirements and fluctuating personnel numbers due to permanent change of station and force shaping, have always played a role in the tenant numbers since BBC signed a 50 year project ground lease in the year 2007. Normally reserved for active duty members with dependents, Categories 1 and 2, which include single military members and guard and reserve personnel, were opened in the year 2011.

A resolution in the years that followed, BBC and the 30th CES Housing Office management, now find themselves in an unfortunate, familiar spot.

“We are currently at a 92 percent occupancy rate,” said Swinehart. “There are currently over 100 projected vacancies in Junior NCO homes and only 15 people on the waitlist with current move-in dates.”

With the current waitlist being cleared with projected residents, BBC is still not close to the 98 percent occupancy rate they aim to reach.

Currently, the Categories 3 and 4, federal civil service employees and retiree applicants will only be housed in the Junior NCO communities of Capistrano and Altimira. Applications for these neighborhoods will start to be accepted this month.

In opening up their communities to new residents, the management at BBC and the 30th CES Housing Office want current and future military members to remember they are the priority.

“The lease agreement will be for one year,” said Swinehart. “At the end of the term, if we need the house for a military member, the current resident will be given a 30 day notice to vacate.”

Recognizing there will be inquires and concerns about the new initiative, BBC is keeping current residents in mind. Below are key items they want you to know:

 

Who is eligible

- Federal civil service employees, including NAF, DeCA and AAFES personnel

- Retired military members and families

 

Affected neighborhoods

- Altimira and Capistrano; JNCO 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses

Safety and security

- All applicants will be authorized CAC/Federal Employee ID holders (many with preexisting authorization to base)

- All applicants will be vetted through background/security checks by 30th Security Forces Squadron

- All applicants will be verified by the 30th CES Housing Office

Priority

- Military members will always be top priority

- BBC will not displace or turn down military applicants due to new categories opening up

 

Please contact the 30th CES Air Force Housing management Office at (805) 606-3434 or 30CES.CEIH@us.af.mil  for further information.