Kalispell August 22nd Work Session on Amending Urban Renewal Plans Public Comment from Patrick MaloneAimee Brunckhorst
From: Pat Malone <pcmwccc@hotmail.com>
Sent: Friday, August 19, 2022 1:03 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Cc: Pat Malone; editor@dailyinterlake.com; editor@flatheadbeacon.com
Subject: EXTERNAL Kalispell August 22nd Work Session on Amending Urban Renewal Plans
Attachments: Dear Members of the Kalispell City Council.docx
[NOTICE: This message includes an attachment -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you know the
content is safe.]
Dear Kalispell Mayor and City Council.
I recently learned that you will be holding a work session next Monday (August 22nd) regarding the possible
amendment of the downtown and westside urban renewal districts to promote workforce housing. I applaud
and support your efforts!
As a former Kalispell resident and property owner in the westside district I'd like to offer the attached
comments and observations. Especially from the lens of our two sons who continue to struggle to find and
maintain affordable rental housing (as several homes they were sharing have converted to short-term rentals
essentially evicting them) and rental apartments are too expensive.
Sincerely, Patrick Malone
Dear Members of the Kalispell City Council.
RE: Amendments to Urban Renewal Plans to Promote Workforce Housing
As a retired couple, our family left 6 Iris Court five years ago for two reasons: the first was the increased
traffic and decreased personal safety for pedestrians and motorists due to the approval of a large
market -rate, multifamily project immediately west of us (now known as the Crossings at Spring Creek),
and secondly because the cost of housing in Kalispell outpriced our family's needs once our sons
decided to relocate to join us for school and work. We settled in Columbia Falls.
While the City had or was about to approval numerous new large scale developments between 2 and 3
Mile Drives and west of Meridian none of them were targeted as affordable or workforce in nature. Each
were adding thousands of new vehicular trips on substantially unimproved county roads with no
shoulders or bike lanes (as neither of our sons had cars at the time). Public transit, though serving those
neighborhoods, had very limited schedules and routes. The savings we experienced in moving to
Columbia Falls allowed us as parents to assist both boys in purchasing used cars and guaranteed safer
pedestrian routes.
We applaud and wholeheartedly support the amendment of these Plans to include Workforce Housing.
In addition to this inclusion needs to come dedicated TIF financial assistance matched by developer set
asides in order for truly new affordable housing to be achieved. Given the skyrocketing cost of housing
over the past 3 to 4 years it will literally take hundreds of thousands of TIF dollars and hopefully a 20%
set aside for affordable housing for any meaningful impact to be felt.
For example, our sons both work year-round at nearly full-time jobs (one at a bike shop, another at a
restaurant) making $16 to $18 per hour. Assuming they work full time this August they will take home
(combined) approximately $4,800. In order for them to meet the 30% of income affordability standard
they would need to find a two -bedroom apartment for around $943 per month (assuming they pay
separately for water, sewer, garbage, internet, cable, etc.). An internet search today (August 191") on
Trulia only shows 26 listings and they range from $1,500 to $3,100 (the lowest being on Hawthorne
Avenue just 2 blocks from where we moved). According to ApartmentGuide.com they have 27 units
ranging between $1,500 for that same unit to $2,800 with most of their listings outside Kalispell (only 4
inside). I could not find any units in all of Flathead County that would rent for even $1,200 per month
(when I pushed monthly rent to $1,600 1 only found 4 units — two in Columbia Falls, one in Bigfork and
one in Martin City).
So ... the cheapest available unit for my two 20-something sons in Kalispell at $1,500 per month would
mean they would have to pay 42% of their combined monthly incomes (WHEN.... they're working full-
time and that's typically not the case in shoulder seasons)! Unlike their parents..that likely means they
will never be able to save to purchase a home and they'll likely struggle to pay for car upkeep (loans,
insurance, gas, oil, basic maintenance, etc.). According to the annual cost of living survey by 24/7
WallStreet the total cost of housing, food, child care, transportation, health care, taxes and other
necessities for a single adult in Kalispell is $36,108. That is more than either of my sons make IF they
were working full-time, year round with zero salary deductions!
That being said, it is imperative that not only Kalispell but all governmental jurisdictions in Flathead
County aggressively explore as many housing affordability strategies as they can..even and including
creating a countywide housing authority to access federal dollars currently unavailable outside
Whitefish.
Best of luck with your efforts.
Patrick Malone, former Kalispell resident/homeowner