Kalispell seeks grant to buy foreclosed homes

The city of Kalispell has its sights set on another round of state grant funding that would allow the city to buy foreclosed homes and resell them to low-to-moderate income families.

The Kalispell City Council tonight will act on a resolution authorizing a grant application to the Montana Department of Commerce Neighborhood Stabilization Program 3. The city would ask for $1.5 million to buy foreclosed homes in Kalispell and place them in the Northwest Montana Community Land Trust as work-force housing.

The city initially took advantage of the state funding in 2009 when it bought 16 foreclosed and abandoned homes and put them in the land trust for resale to qualified households.

The grant is a pass-through program with Community Action Partnership responsible for the accounting of grant money and ongoing implementation and reporting.

Of the qualifying households, 27 percent must have income less than 50 percent of the area median income and 73 percent must have income between 51 and 120 percent of the area median income.

In other business, the council will consider a preliminary plat extension in Ashley Park Subdivision Phase 9. The council last year granted a one-year extension for the subdivision located at the end of Pintail Drive, but this year the state Legislature approved a law change allowing for additional extensions to preliminary plats.

Sands Surveying, on behalf of subdivision developer Somers Land Co., has asked for a three-year extension due to economic conditions and delays in financing for infrastructure construction.

The council will vote on several amendments to the Tourism Business Improvement District bylaws adopted in 2010. The proposed changes deal with hotel representation on the board, the filling of vacancies and the terms of officer appointments.

The improvement district board voted in favor of the amendments at its April 6 meeting.

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.