BOZEMAN — It's no secret — finding affordable housing in Bozeman is a challenge.
And it also depends on what your definition of “affordable” is.
Tuesday is the groundbreaking for the HRDC’s Willow Springs Townhomes, located in northwest Bozeman.
These homes will target a very specific portion of the community.
“So tomorrow there will be a groundbreaking for Willow Springs which, is a compact neighborhood of 24 townhome units,” said Terry Cunningham, Bozeman City Commissioner.
“Each of them are 2 to 3 bedroom, and they're going to be 100% affordable to those who make 70% or less of the area median income.”
Different affordable housing projects target different income levels in the community. And that goes for rentals as well.
“A lot of our rental units are targeting 60 to 80%; some of our first-time homebuyers target the area between 70 and 100%.”
Deptuy Mayor Chris Mehl says the city is doing good work tackling the issue, but more needs to be done.
“We had more units started last year than ever before. So, we're creating more housing supply. The other downside is, though, that we're having more people move here than ever before,” said Mehl.
“So, on the rental side we're treading water, on the ownership side we have some more work to do.”
An affordable housing action plan is underway in the city.
A draft of the plan will be finished later this fall.
