Origin Homes, a Hubbell Realty Co. entity whose primary focus is building houses in small communities, is launching projects in three Iowa towns: Gowrie, Manning and Knoxville.

Origin Homes began over a year ago with the goal of building workforce housing, semi-and-fully custom houses in rural communities as well as build-on-your-own land homebuilding. The company is in 20 Iowa communities.

The most recent projects, all of which Origin Homes received workforce housing tax credits from the state of Iowa, are in:

• Manning, which is developing a pocket neighborhood called Stadium View that will include 20 pocket-sized residential lots and 16 traditional-sized lots. Origin Homes is the first homebuilder to sign on to building in the pocket neighborhood, according to a news release. (Pocket neighborhoods are a group of houses clustered around shared open spaces.) The builder will construct five affordable, workforce houses. “Since 2000, only two new spec homes have been built [in Manning] and that was thanks to the Homes for Iowa program,” Dawn Meyer, Manning’s city administrator, said in a prepared statement. “Stadium View is the largest housing initiative in Manning’s recent history, and it’s going to be a game changer. … This development will prove to the businesses looking to expand here that we’re serious about providing housing for their employees.”

• Knoxville, which is redeveloping the former VA hospital grounds into a residential neighborhood, built around a new 3.5-acre park called Veterans Park. The 152-acre Veterans District is expected to include a mix of housing options. “Workforce housing is a critical need in Knoxville,” Glenn Lyons, Knoxville’s economic development director, said in a prepared statement. Since 2017, several businesses have expanded their workforces, and the Knoxville Hospital has proposed an expansion. “Major employers offer incentive programs to assist employees to relocate to Knoxville, but none of that matters if we don’t have a home they can afford,” Lyons said. A study showed that Knoxville lacked housing in the $125,000 to $400,000 price range. Veterans District is expected to help fill that gap. Origin Homes will build at least five 1,300-square-foot houses with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Construction is expected to begin this year.

• Gowrie, which is expanding a housing development called the Wiley addition. The neighborhood has nine lots available; Origin Homes plans on building five houses that will range in size from 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. “Within the next five years, there may be over 400 direct new jobs created in the region thanks to expansions and growth efforts of area businesses,” Gayle Streit, housing committee chairwoman for Gowrie Development Commission, said in a prepared statement. “To continue to draw in a young, energetic workforce – which turns into vibrant community members and leaders – we need to create affordable housing.” Construction is expected to begin this year.