Innovating for the future: Georgetown attracts companies reimagining home development
By Parks Kugle
Outlet: Community Impact
Published on July 19, 2024
Over the last few years, Georgetown has become a hub for innovative housing development.
Among the companies in this sector are Onx Homes, GAF Energy and Icon, which together are creating jobs in the region and hoping to change how homes are built and sold.
Company officials said they are attracted to the city due to its growing population and workforce, its location along I-35 and SH 130 Toll, and its proximity to other manufacturing businesses.
“Georgetown is a wonderful community that has been nothing but inviting,” said Charlie Coleman, Lennar Austin division president in charge of Icon’s development. “Like Icon, the city shares our spirit of innovation and welcomes the prospect of being home to our first 3D-printed community.”
Two-minute impact
Attracting companies like GAF Energy, Icon and Onx Homes to the city is part of Georgetown’s latest economic development strategic plan, which will guide development until 2028-29.
Presented to City Council in April, the plan focuses on reducing the city’s reliance on residential property taxes and continuing to attract commercial taxpayers.
The city is targeting companies in advanced manufacturing, including those working in semiconductors and clean energy, as well as computer software programming and engineering companies, and those in health care and the life sciences.
“[Georgetown] is not going after every single company,” Georgetown’s Economic Development Director Cameron Goodman said. “[The city] is going after companies that really fit in our local ecosystem.”
The three innovative housing companies fall into the advanced manufacturing sector and are creating products from nailable solar shingles to homes built in parts off-site and assembled quickly to the first-ever 3D-printed subdivision.
Company officials said they chose Georgetown due to its location, business-friendly environment and strategic investments, which helped them streamline moving and beginning production.
Goodman said the city’s relationship with the companies continues once they set up shop in Georgetown. This can look like regular check-ins, collaborating on solutions and providing workforce development opportunities, he said.
“Icon is privileged to bring the very first 3D-printed community in the world to Georgetown,” Icon Vice President of Construction Spencer Padgett said. “[This subdivision] shows that Georgetown is a forward-leaning community for anyone considering living there.”
| GAF Energy | Icon | Onx Homes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What they do | Manufactures solar shingle that nail flat on roofs | 3D prints homes within 8-15 days | Builds homes in parts off-site and assembles on-site in 30 days |
| Timeline | Began construction of facility in 2022 | Began construction in 2023 | Came to Georgetown in 2023 |
| Local footprint | Moved into 450,000-square-foot facility in 2023 | Partnered with homebuilder Lennar to build 100 homes in Wolf Ranch | Leased a 204,000-square-foot building in the Crosspoint Business District |
| Product cost | Price varies depending on roof size and slope | Prices range from $469,990-$578,990 | Starting at $400,000 |
Why it matters
The arrival of these home companies is bringing jobs and career-training opportunities to the city.
Goodman said jobs in the advanced manufacturing sector, like those provided by Onx Homes, GAF Energy and Icon, are high-paying, and allow people to live and work in the city. He said Georgetown is looking to bring in companies that offer not just jobs, but careers, and create valuable products.
“These strategic decisions are important to make because these companies provide great job opportunities for residents; they invest in our community, and when they sell the innovative products that they create here in Georgetown, it brings in new revenue to our local economy,” Goodman said.
The city also works with companies to create a solid workforce. Companies can partner with Georgetown ISD, Austin Community College and Texas State Technical College to create programs to train employees, Goodman said.
In the fall, Georgetown ISD’s Future Ready Complex will open, and will offer students the ability to study technology and manufacturing, allowing them to start careers without having to attend college, officials said.
The specifics
Onx Homes, GAF Energy and Icon are offering homeowners environmentally friendly and extreme weather-resistant products that benefit the buyer by reducing their utility bills, company officials said.
Ravi Bhat, Onx Homes chief operating officer, said the company builds traditional-looking homes that are made from high-quality concrete with rebar and insulation embedded in it.
Onx homeowners’ monthly bills are less, insurance premiums are lower, and they use less energy, Bhat said. This is because Onx Homes manages the entire process from development to construction to providing home warranty services.
Ralph Robinett, GAF senior vice president of manufacturing and supply chain, said the company’s solar shingles are a way to add value to a home. The solar roof shingles help stabilize the grid, Robinett said, and could reduce dependence on major transmission lines and the need to construct additional power plants if widely adopted.
Padgett said the materials Icon uses for homes are recyclable and energy efficient. He said homeowners’ energy bills are often less than a meal at McDonald’s.
Additionally, Icon’s homebuilding process creates a durable and resilient home that’s tailored to the local environment, Padgett said.
“My parents lost their home that I grew up in, in Vero Beach, Florida, in 2004 after two back-to-back hurricanes,” Icon homeowner Amy Honey said. “We chose an Icon 3D-printed home because of the quality of construction.”
However, Realtor Jim Mayo, who works with homebuyers throughout the area, said many potential buyers are more concerned about up-front affordability than the home’s long-term sustainability.
- GAF Energy
- Rated Class A for most-severe fire test exposure
- Rated to withstand 130 mph winds
- Class 1 impact resistance rating, meaning a shingle does not break when struck twice in the same spot by a 1.25-inch steel or ice ball
- Icon
- Holds up against fire for 2 hours
- Withstands winds up to 250 mph
- 2.5 times more energy efficient than energy code requirements in the Austin Metro area
- Onx Homes
- Rated to withstand 175 mph winds
- Concrete walls four times better at resisting fire than wood frame walls
- Able to withstand significant impact at 100 mph
- Thermal insulation lowers heating and cooling costs by average of 15%
Stay tuned
In the coming years, these companies will continue to lay their roots in Georgetown. However, officials hope their products expand beyond the city.
The companies’ goals include:
- Onx Homes’ Georgetown factory will open in the fourth quarter of 2024 and will expand within 12-18 months from 7-8 design options to 8-20.
- GAF Energy has made 200,000 energy shingles in the Georgetown factory and will make 5 million shingles a year once the factory is fully ramped up.
- Icon has printed 95 of 100 wall systems for the Wolf Ranch community and is on track to have all homes completed by 2025.
As he looks to the future, Coleman said there’s never been a more exciting time to be a homebuilder.
“The ever-expanding range of materials and technologies allow us to build more sustainable communities that meet the needs of today’s buyers and set new standards for the future,” Coleman said.