"We are facing the question of whether Montana will continue to be a place where working and middle class folks can afford to build a future for themselves and their families."
"We can’t wait for solutions and hope the problem goes away. If young people can’t afford to live and raise a family here, the future of Montana is at stake."
Together, Exclusionary Single-Family Zoning and Minimum Lot Areas effectively serve as invisible billboards at the gates of growing Montana neighborhoods which read: “low and middle income residents are not welcome here".
"Of the cities examined, 70% of primary residential areas either outright prohibit or penalize affordable multi-family housing development."
"Streamlining the process in any way would be a significant factor in saving time and money, and the most important thing – bringing more affordable homes to the market quicker."
The Frontier Institute's Montana Zoning Atlas demonstrates how strict zoning regulations impact housing costs.
"we continue to hear stories about Montanans being priced out of housing as property values rise and their tax burden rises with them, sometimes making a family home of many years suddenly unaffordable."
"Housing will not get more affordable or more accessible until the root cause of the problem is addressed: supply."
Land doesn’t come cheap, so requiring larger lots over the standard minimum effectively penalizes multi-family homes by making them more costly to build compared to traditional single-family homes.
City governments are the problem with Montana’s housing crisis, but they could be part of the solution
The research consensus is clear that strict regulations discourage affordable housing by adding thousands to costs and stifling development.
"Residents appear to understand that subsidies will fall short if they are not accompanied by regulatory reforms that reduce barriers to housing supply. Local leaders ought to take note."
By rejecting progressive era urban planning regulations like single-family zoning, minimum lot sizes, setbacks and parking requirements, conservatives favor restoring the original vision of property rights and economic freedom held by America’s founders.
Property taxes have long been a common discussion across Montana, but some residents may have a reason to feel that their property taxes are rising faster.