Delay On Copper Springs, Proposal For Housing Survey Highlight Need For Available, Affordable Housing
Author: Linda Kent, MT43 News Staff Reporter
Delay On Copper Springs, Proposal for Housing Survey Highlight Need for Available, Affordable Housing
Linda Kent
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Townsend’s City Council approved the delay of developing the Copper Spring Subdivision until 2028 at their regular meeting on Dec. 17.
According to owner Megan Nowlin, the first phase of development on the south end of the community consists only of 12 units.
“My concern is pushing a population increase from a ten-year period into four,” Council member JB Howick said, noting the potential impacts on schools.
City Planning Contractor Jeremy Fadness and Nowlin said the reason for the request was tied to the potential for the costs of developing infrastructure for the subdivision to go down, given the rapid rise in those costs over the last several years.
“They’re trying to make the houses affordable,” Fadness said. However, the cost of installing infrastructure – water, sewer, and lift stations –, building, as well as mortgage rates, are creating challenges.
While the council approved the extension for the development of Copper Springs, a separate proposal from WWC Engineering to conduct a comprehensive affordable housing study reinforced the need for housing in Townsend.
Currently, according to council member Doug Sitton, Townsend has the lowest available housing pool of any community of its size in Montana – around 0.7 percent.
The WWC study, which responds to a separate project request from the city, would provide a detailed analysis of the current availability and cost of housing in the community and give the city a better understanding of housing availability and affordability.
