Housing Public Comment from Megan LubitzAimee Brunckhorst
From: Megan Lubitz <meganicole9@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, August 22, 2022 3:46 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Public Comment - Housing
To Members of Kalispell City Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on affordable housing here in the Flathead. I grew up in Kalispell, and have been renting
for the last several years. Having graduated from college, I am looking to save enough to buy a home.
I would like to inform you of the renting and housing market from the point of view of someone who does not own a home here in the
valley, but would like to. I was asked to leave my studio rental in February of 2021. After the owner had increased rent in the
springtime, he felt he could raise it two fold if he could renovate. Although it is likely he knew months before having me leave that he
would decide to remodel, he kindly felt it necessary for me to have exactly 30 days. Although this is the bare minimum amount
required by law, it is hardly enough for a person already stretched on time and resources to box everything up, line-up movers, and
search the market for a new residence. Not considering we were right in the middle of the pandemic. Locals were only beginning to
understand the ramifications of an influx of people rapidly moving into the valley. There was few options. Even without the housing
crisis, peoples worlds were turned upside down. On top of that, finances were unstable as I had been laid off a year before from the
pandemic, and still faced some uncertainties. At this point I worked at Mountain Lake Lodge in Bigfork, making $2400/mo and
paying $580 for renting a studio apartment. Rent took up 25% of my income.
There is one more very important situation I was confronting at the time. At the risk of sounding too sentimental, or using a `sob story'
to drive home the brutality of this crisis, I was caring for my Grandmother who had helped raise me. My landlords request couldn't
have come at a worse moment. Rather than feel supported my the place I call home during this time, I felt like I was just a number, it
was survival of the fitness, and every man for themselves. I looked around and saw myself in a rat race in a place I had thought was
far from it, Montana.. Turned out I wasn't the only one. So I appreciate the opportunity to comment and for the Council to listen. I
often wonder how everyone else is fairing who didn't own a home prior to 2020. I am educated. I am capable, but this situation is
complex and fast moving.
With such short notice, I had nowhere to go, or enough time to figure it out. I moved in with my Dad. After moving out as an eighteen
year old, I was back. I couldn't find anything in 30 days. I still haven't found anything. I currently make about the same, $2200/mo at
Mountain Meadow Herbs, but rent has rapidly spiked nearly 50%. This is well above any strain I have felt from inflation. Studios or
rooms are between $750-$1000. That would be 34% to 45% of my income. Not possible for me. I'll stay with Dad until something
else changes.
When I look for housing now, what I hear from landlords is out-of-state people are still renting. This we can't stop. What greatly
concerns me is they are still working remotely for another state. Although the City Council is focusing on solutions for housing, there
may be other issues this situation is creating as well that the Council may need to address one day. Will this mean a growing
population is taking up housing, using resources, putting wear and tear on our roads, camping in parks, and not paying the taxes to
maintain them because their income is from another state? Will a shrinking population of people who work here, and pay taxes here,
have to front those costs?
Please consider many solutions. My hope is that you will incorporate as a many solutions as you can. I hope that you will work with
the state on this. In the 90's my mother was part of a Montana State Housing Program, where she was able to build a small home and
the upfront costs were lowered. Once the house was sold, profits went back to the state. The state inevitable profited from this
program, and families and individuals got to have their own homes.
A second option to look at in Kalispell is a solution a growing number of communities are incorporating into their towns is what is
known as Tiny Home Communities. These are similar to manufactured homes, except they offer more individual styles as well as
promoting resourcefulness and and low impact. Using fewer resources at a time like this helps us be resilient in times of supply chain
disruptions and makes us stronger. Although a few regulations would be modified, they offer a safe and healthy options for people.
They are also very appealing to a large range of people. From young to old. They can be fun, creative, and would free up the regular
housing market and lighten the load on our natural resources. I myself am looking at this option. They are highly affordable, reliable,
and would require less development which would better maintain the natural beauty, open space, and character of our community.
In summary, I appreciate the Council's desire to learn more about this situation from the public. I hope you will be open to
suggestions and new ideas. I understand that this is an ongoing process that will take time to fully understand and find solutions to. I
wish the council the best during this crisis and doing what the can for the community.
Sincerely,
Megan Lubitz