Two significant workforce housing projects are likely to take shape in neighboring southwest Wyoming counties, but despite their proximity the developments are moving on separate tracks to serve two entirely different energy projects.
In Kemmerer, city leaders on Monday cleared another hurdle that could allow a temporary workforce housing hub for workers constructing TerraPower's advanced nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, about 120 miles to the southwest, Uinta County officials are considering a proposal for a much larger workforce camp to serve construction of a planned hyperscale data center near Evanston.
While both projects have drawn attention because of their size and potential economic impacts, Kemmerer Mayor Robert Bowen said the timing is largely coincidental.
"The whole point of a workforce hub is to keep people who work on the project close to the project," Bowen told Cowboy State Daily.
Kemmerer Clears Zoning Hurdle
The Kemmerer City Council on Monday approved the third and final reading of a zoning change for approximately 60 acres of private land known as the Fox King property, changing its designation from heavy industrial to light industrial.
The zoning change makes the property eligible to be considered as one possible location for temporary housing tied to TerraPower's Natrium reactor project.
Bowen said the property is included in a request for proposals being evaluated by Bechtel, the Virginia-based engineering and construction company considering a temporary workforce hub for the TerraPower project.
Bechtel will ultimately decide whether to move forward with the Fox King property or another proposed site, Bowen said.
"The city has no influence, no say," he said. "All of it is in their (Bechtel's) court."
If selected, the 60-acre site would help house up to 1,600 workers expected to descend on Kemmerer during the peak years of construction on the first commercial Natrium nuclear reactor in the United States.
The city of about 2,400 people is bracing for explosive growth with the first-of-its-kind sodium-cooled nuclear power plant under construction, Cowboy State Daily has previously reported.
The property also offers an alternative to an undeveloped city-owned piece of land between the justice center and the Antelope Ridge subdivision. Residents of the subdivision have pushed back at recent city council meetings about a man camp on land adjacent to their neighborhood.
Multiple companies have been eyeing properties to house workers when the plant comes online around 2030.
Bechtel did not return Cowboy State Daily's messages before publication.
Uinta County Proposal Advances
At nearly the same time, officials in neighboring Uinta County took a significant step toward approving a workforce housing hub for a different project.
Last week, the Uinta County Planning and Zoning Commission approved a conditional use permit allowing Target Hospitality to move forward with plans for a temporary workforce housing community on county-owned land east of Evanston, adjacent to Bear River State Park.
The proposal now heads to the Uinta County Commission for final consideration.
If approved, the camp would house as many as 3,400 workers during construction of a nearby hyperscale data center. Under the permit, the housing complex could remain in place for up to five years during the project's primary construction phase.
Target Hospitality CEO Troy Schrenk has said the approximately 150-acre site was selected because of its access to Interstate 80 and its location about eight miles from the construction site.
The company estimates construction of the workforce housing hub would take about one year, with completion targeted for October 2027 if approvals continue on schedule.
Different Projects, Similar Challenges
Although both proposals involve temporary housing for large construction workforces, they reflect a broader challenge facing Wyoming communities as billion-dollar industrial projects move forward in rural areas with limited housing inventories.
Purpose-built workforce housing can reduce pressure on local rental markets, hotels and other housing while keeping workers close to job sites. At the same time, such projects often generate debate over traffic, infrastructure demands, public safety and the eventual removal of the temporary facilities once construction winds down.
For now, both southwest Wyoming projects remain works in progress.
Kemmerer's zoning action simply keeps one potential housing site in contention as Bechtel evaluates proposals, Bowen said. Meanwhile Uinta County's proposal still requires approval from county commissioners before construction can begin.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
