Affordable housing project slated for spring in Kalispell
KALISPELL, Mont. — Right now, 41 Meridian Court in Kalispell is just an empty lot, but developers have a plan for affordable housing units.
The Greenway Development Group, an affordable housing developer, is behind the project, and it’s not their first time in the Flathead. The developer completed the first phase of the Highline Apartments in Columbia Falls in August 2019.
The Greenway Development Group says they were told that there was a need for affordable housing -- not low-income housing but workforce housing in the Flathead Valley.
“What you see is a variety of people that are living there from, you know, teachers and police officers, to young professionals, to those that work in the service industry,” managing partner Brent Brown said.
The apartments are offered at a market rate. Brown says the price is affordable from a standpoint of residents who live at the Highline Apartments.
Now, developers want to duplicate the Highline for the Meridian Apartments in Kalispell. They say workers will build 144 units between four buildings.
The apartments will be a mix of studio units to two bedrooms. The price will start at $850 for a studio apartment and $1,250 for a two-bedroom.
Rent Data shows the average fair market rent for a two-bedroom is anywhere from $734 in Liberty County to $1,100 in Gallatin County.
Over the past month, Zumper notes the average price for a studio apartment increased by 13% to $1,200 in Kalispell. The average rent for a one-bedroom sits at $850 and a two-bedroom at $1,450.
“It’s my personal opinion that we are in an affordable housing crisis, and I think as many units of affordable housing we can get on the ground, the better,” Kalispell City Council member Ryan Hunter said.
Greenway Development says, weather permitting, they would like to see the project wrapped up in May or June of 2022.
