Kalispell takes on housing issue at work session
The Meridian Court Apartments under construction in Kalispell on Thursday, Jan. 6. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Kalispell City Council will hold a work session Monday to look at housing resources in the area.
The discussion will review efforts the city has taken up in recent years to increase housing stock and affordability within city limits. These include removing barriers to entry for the housing development, particularly multi-family housing.
According to the work session agenda, “Outcomes of this policy effort have been realized with the record numbers of applications and permits for multi-family housing (649 permits issued in 2022 vs. 160 in 2021) exceeding the rate of single-family homes (241 in 2022 vs 300 in 2021).”
The work session agenda also highlights deed-restricted affordable housing units that are being introduced into the community.
One such development is Junegrass Place, a deed-restricted affordable housing development with 138 units. Junegrass Place has a conditional use permit from the Kalispell city council.
Junegrass Place is slated for a 5.8-acre property on North Meridian Road. The project will be built by GMD Development, a Seattle developer.
Another 32 deed-restricted affordable housing units have the potential to be approved this spring. At its May 2 meeting, council will review an application for a new development known as Creekside Commons, a senior affordable housing project.
Creekside Commons has received $6.4 million in tax credits from the Montana Board of Housing. Missoula-based Housing Solutions LLC is the developer behind the senior community.
At the work session Monday, council will also go over additional resources that are available. In particular, the conversation will focus on state and federal resources for municipalities to use for housing.
The discussion will also cover the ways housing resources have shifted over time, with an emphasis on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Finally, the work session will take a look at “what options may be available for the City of Kalispell to more fully explore.”
The work session is open to the public. It starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 201 First Avenue East.
Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.