Study will look at Columbia Falls' housing needs

Columbia Falls will undergo a comprehensive housing study that will not only look at the housing market, but survey employers, study the impacts of vacation rentals and second homes, and a host of other factors affecting the city’s housing needs.

During a workshop earlier this month with the Columbia Falls Planning Commission, consultant Wendy Sullivan and her staff met via videoconference to discuss the study, which is already underway. 

The study is mandated by the Montana Land Use Planning Act, also known as Senate Bill 382, passed by the Montana Legislature in 2023. It will be used by the city to craft a new master plan. 

Sullivan and her staff went over the scope of the study and took suggestions from the commission and the public on the detail of the study. 

The hope is to have a draft by February and the study finalized by March. 

Sullivan is no stranger to the process. She’s been involved in community planning for 25 years and grew up in Colorado. 

The company a few years back did a similar study for Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

She said at least part of the study will determine “what the market is providing and what it’s not.” 

Affordable housing, at least in terms of this study, is defined as a person or family spending 30% or less of their gross income on a house payment or rent. 

The study will also look at demographics, include employer surveys, assess current and future needs, land development opportunities (or lack thereof) and the housing patterns. While the study will focus on the 59912 Zip code, commission members and the public urged them to look outside as well, at Whitefish and Kalispell. 

There was also concern about the effect that the secondary home market and vacation rentals had on housing. Commission member Justin Ping suggested they look at the need for seasonal housing and examine needs east of the city, as the Forest Service and Park Service are large employers, particularly in the summer months. 

Another facet of the market is where people are working remotely in jobs that can make housing here affordable, at least at their pay scale. 

The employer survey is expected to start in October and will take a few weeks, so Sullivan asked city officials to get the word out to local businesses. 

The contract for the study is for $57,100, of which $30,000 is covered by a state Department of Commerce grant and the remainder by city coffers.