Ulster County, New York, has contracted a national modular construction consultancy to develop a comprehensive strategy for factory-built housing, marking one of the most deliberate county-level efforts in the region to institutionalize off-site manufacturing as a permanent housing supply tool. Backed by a $50,000 Empire State Development grant, County Executive Jen Metzger announced the award of a contract to The Mod Squad Team, LLC, to produce a Modular Construction Strategic Plan and a Modular Facility Implementation Plan, with the goal of establishing a modular manufacturing facility in Ulster County.
Background
The initiative comes as Ulster County faces a deepening housing shortage. The county has been experiencing what many characterize as a housing crisis, with rising home prices and rents pushing 46% of cost-burdened renting families further from affordability as the gap between median wages and housing costs widens. Vacancy data underscores the severity: the overall homeowner vacancy rate fell to 1.7% in 2023, while the rental vacancy rate contracted to 4.0%. Years of incremental project development have done little to close the gap. A 2006 study estimated that 6,600 new units were needed by 2020, but only a fraction were built, and when pandemic-era demand spiked, the shortage drove prices sharply higher.
Conventional stick-built construction is inherently slow, with crews sequentially pouring foundations, framing walls, and installing systems-all while exposed to weather. Labor shortages and supply chain disruptions compound the problem.
Details
Through a public-private partnership, the county's plan aims to develop a modular and panelized construction facility in Ulster County dedicated to producing new affordable housing.1Housing - Ulster County The plan and facility would also provide educational and workforce training opportunities.2County Executive Ryan Announces Housing Action Plan | Ulster County
Modular construction compresses project timelines by shifting most work into a factory, where foundations and modules can be built simultaneously, conditions are controlled, and quality is easier to standardize. Industry studies suggest the approach can cut project build timelines by 30 to 50 percent and reduce costs by 10 to 25 percent.
The Mod Squad Team, LLC is a consulting firm specializing in the manufacturing and construction of modern modular buildings, with decades of experience guiding businesses through modular operations. The firm employs specialists in modular manufacturing, factory engineering, production operations, finance, and supply chain strategy who have led factory launches and platform scale-ups across North America.
County Executive Metzger framed the initiative in terms of both supply and labor. "Ulster County's housing challenges demand both innovation and practical, scalable solutions," she said, adding that establishing local modular construction capacity would enable the county to build "high-quality, energy-efficient housing faster and more affordably, while creating well-paying jobs for our residents."
Kai Lord-Farmer, a planning specialist with the Ulster County Department of Planning and project manager for the initiative, pointed to its broader ambitions. "We can address the rising cost of building affordable housing, the need to create meaningful career pathways for our younger residents, and our responsibility to build for the future of our climate," Lord-Farmer said.
Outlook
The Ulster County Legislature's resolution directs the development of a modular and panelized facility dedicated to producing new affordable housing, with the strategic plan serving as the foundational document for any future capital investment or site selection process. If the model proves viable, county officials and industry observers suggest it could serve as a replicable template for other supply-constrained markets facing similar labor, cost, and zoning barriers. The pace and scope of any resulting facility will depend on the findings of the two planning documents The Mod Squad Team is now contracted to deliver.
