Elevate Branson CEO: Project moving forward despite stop work order

A recent stop work order from the city of Branson brings fresh challenges to Elevate Branson's tiny home community project, which broke ground late last month.

Elevate Branson co-founder and CEO Bryan Stallings confirmed a stop work order was issued in May for its Elevate Community development.

"The stop work order only applies to our tiny home foundations," Stallings told SBJ via email. "The rest of the infrastructure and site work is moving along as planned."

Stallings cited a miscommunication within the project team for Elevate Community in which nonprofit officials believed the required applications had been submitted when footers for two of the tiny homes were poured.

"The project is still moving forward," he said. "We have been in regular communication with the city of Branson and are actively preparing the necessary documentation requested to bring the building permit applications for the tiny home foundations into compliance."

Officials with the city of Branson could not be reached for comment by deadline.

Elevate Branson, a 17-year-old nonprofit focused on combating poverty in the Branson area, broke ground May 30 on Elevate Community, which was first announced in 2020. The development, aimed at reaching people who are on a fixed income and living at or below the poverty line, will occupy 5 acres just north of the nonprofit’s 310 Gretna Road campus in Branson. The Herschend Family Foundation donated land for the 48-unit tiny home community, according to past reporting, and Elevate Branson also purchased adjacent acreage. 

Stallings said development of Elevate Community is on track and predicted the first residents would move in by first quarter 2026.

Hollister-based Flat Creek Excavating LLC was the low bidder on the project at $2.54 million, SBJ previously reported, with total development costs estimated earlier this year at $8 million-$10 million. Neosho-based Village Home Builders is manufacturing the 400-square-foot houses for Elevate Community

"Flat Creek ... has done an excellent job with the installation of the public and private infrastructure and has put us ahead of schedule," Stallings said. "Initially, we did not anticipate pouring any footers until late fall."

The stop work order was first reported by the Branson Tri-Lakes News, which additionally pointed to potential zoning issues between the city and Elevate Branson related to commercial features at Elevate Community such as a planned marketplace and woodworking and pottery art studio on the land that's zoned high-density residential.

Stallings said Elevate Branson is working to restructure the development as a planned development to allow for those projects, which he called "workforce development programming."

"We have been in regular communication with the city of Branson and are actively preparing the necessary planned development documentation to present it to the Planning Commission in the next 30-45 days," he said.