At Grafenwöhr, no relief in sight for housing crunch

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At Grafenwöhr, no relief in sight for housing crunch
By Seth Robson, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, January 10, 2010

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Despite an off-post housing crunch that forces some soldiers to live up to 45 minutes from their offices in Grafenwöhr and Vilseck, scores of homes sit empty at the Army’s new military housing area at Netzaberg.

The homes in the community, which welcomed its first residents in summer 2007, are being held for families from the 172nd Infantry Brigade, which is scheduled to move to Grafenwöhr from Schweinfurt this year.

As of late last year, 84 homes were vacant in the housing area, which also includes middle and elementary schools, a child development center, a gas station and a shoppette.

The military population has grown exponentially — from 1,000 soldiers a few years ago to more than 4,500 soldiers and 8,500 family members today. There are also hundreds of U.S. and thousands of German civilians who work on the bases, placing a lot of stress on the local housing market.

The arrival of thousands more soldiers and family members from the 172nd will make the situation even more dire, with no real help in sight.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=67134