Columbia Falls will take first look at housing study Monday
Housing demand has surged in Columbia Falls.
The Columbia Falls city council and planning commission will have a joint meeting Monday, Feb. 24 to take a first look at a draft housing study.
The study was commissioned by the city to comply with the Montana Land Use Planning Act. It will be used, in part, for the city to craft a new city land use plan as dictated by state law.
The city hired Wendy Sullivan of WSW Consulting to do the comprehensive study. The contract was for $57,100, of which $30,000 was covered by a state Department of Commerce grant. Sullivan has done other studies in resort towns, most notably Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
The study is a key component of the land use plan. Housing costs in Columbia Falls skyrocketed during and after the pandemic as some people fled large metropolitan areas, seeing Montana as a refuge of sorts as it offers a host of outdoor recreation opportunities. Columbia Falls, and its close proximity to Glacier National Park and millions of acres of the Flathead National Forest, has proven particularly attractive.
The local housing market has since leveled off a bit, as interest rates are relatively high and home prices are out of reach for many working-class families.
The median home price in Columbia Falls is about $583,000 according to the real estate company Zillow.
The average rental runs about $1,800 a month, Zillow notes.
The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at city council chambers and is open to the public.