At the end of the East-West section of U.S. Route 48, in the mountains of West Virginia, there’s a small town called Davis. It’s in close proximity to some of our country’s most exceptional natural resources -- outdoor enthusiasts know it for gems like Canaan Valley State Park and the Dolly Sods Wilderness. A landscape of highland bogs and Appalachian expanses is the backdrop to this close-knit community of around 700 people.

Davis has for decades welcomed tourists for skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. But recently, due in part to its accessibility from the Washington metropolitan area, the region has experienced an increase in tourism. While this boom is beneficial to the local economy, it has also made the cost of living spike -- and many Davis residents have been hard-pressed to find available, adequate, and affordable housing. Simultaneously, entrepreneurial locals and businesses are poised to increase economic activity in the area, but their efforts are hindered by the lack of housing available to accommodate the jobs that this economic productivity is capable of creating.

Recognizing the need for more affordable housing, the Woodlands Development Group brought us on earlier this year to put together a proposal for additional workforce housing in Tucker County. Since then, we have been working closely with Woodlands and a steering committee of enthusiastic community members to identify needs, opportunities, and goals for housing development in Davis. Through a series of surveys, we have been studying the landscape to identify buildable areas -- with the ultimate goal of delivering a master plan and architectural guidelines for housing in the existing Highland Business Park.

We are continuing to refine our master plan scheme as we begin to visualize the possibilities for housing architecture on the site, and we expect the project to finish in June. Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

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