County supports housing project

The Sanders County Commissioners last week voted to help the Sanders County Community Housing Organization (SCCHO) in applying for a grant to complete a housing project in Noxon.

Lisa Fried de Reyes, SCCHO Executive Director, addressed the commissioners at the Thursday public hearing and outlined the proposal for the housing project, which would cost an estimated $2.7 million. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds available through the CARES Act has allocated more than $10.1 million to the state of Montana. SCCHO is requesting 75% of the project cost ($2,098,250) in its CDBG grant application. The CDBG program, administered through the Department of Commerce, requires that grant applications go through a county or municipality, which is why SCCHO was asking the commissioners to apply on behalf of the organization.

The organization plans to build mixed-use housing on 12 city lots in Noxon that was donated to SCCHO. The projects would include two four-plexes with four small studio apartments and four one-bedroom apartments and two duplexes with two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments. The organization will need to put in a septic system as part of the project and connect to the community water system.The project budget includes an increase on services and products of 10% for the remote location of the project and 20% for COVID, which Fried de Reyes stated the project architect recommended with the increase in building material costs through the pandemic.

About a dozen community members attended the public hearing last week at the Sanders County Courthouse, and all of those who spoke up supported the project. Thompson Falls Mayor Mark Sheets said the project would benefit Thompson Falls as people travel there from Noxon for work and services. "Affordable housing and rentals are very important for our workforce," Sheets stated, "and we support this project."

SCCHO met with stakeholders in Noxon earlier this year to discuss housing needs in that part of the county. They determined what was most needed was temporary rentals for people who decide to move to the area, senior housing for people who need to downsize but don't want to leave their community and low-income housing that would also serve the local workforce. "Sanders County is a low-income county so this workforce housing could include new teachers, service industry staff and hospital workers," Fried de Reyes said in her presentation to the commissioners.

Jim Jacobsen with SCCHO said that housing for entry-level jobs isn't available in the county. "There are people looking for jobs, but they need housing. This has been needed for a long time."

The commissioners voted 3-0 to support the project and proceed with the SCCHO application.