As Montana counties grow, affordable housing becomes more out-of-reach

Only five out of 56 counties in Montana have any type of countywide zoning in place, according to a recent survey by the Montana Association of Counties.

Only four counties in the state have any type of interim zoning regulation in place.

Ravalli County, often thought to be behind in its land-use planning, seems to be right on par with other fast-growth counties with interim zoning in place and a timeline to develop countywide zoning within the next year. If everything goes as planned with the countywide zoning project, Ravalli County will be the sixth county to have countywide zoning in place.

According to Harold Blattie, executive director of MACo, the planning study was one of the most comprehensive studies regarding land use in the state.

It found that seven of the 47 counties that responded are in the process of implementing zoning regulations in any part of their county.

Ravalli County voters adopted an interim zoning measure last November that forced county officials to work on countywide zoning, but the regulation will only be in place until November 2008 at its longest. The zoning measure, which limits subdivisions to one home per two acres, was drafted with the intent of slowing development of large-scale subdivisions until comprehensive zoning was in place.

“In the areas where fast growth occurs, you can't turn back the clock,” Dr. Larry Swanson, director of the Center for the Rocky Mountain West said during a recent presentation. “The growth is up to you to try to figure out.”

The one thing that Montana is known for - open vistas, clean rivers and some of the wildest untamed country in the West - is at stake, pro-planning proponents say.

“We are at a turning point: If we don't act to guide growth now, we will lose exactly what makes Montana special,” Tim Davis, executive director for the Montana Smart Growth Coalition, wrote. “And the loss of our hometowns and open lands will affect all Montanans - city and rural residents, eastern and western Montanans, Realtors and ranchers, conservationists and small business owners.”

Population growth correlates with rising home costs, which in Montana has outpaced growth in salaries. Since 2003, housing costs have been on the rise, and 33-50 percent of Montanans spend more than 50 percent of their income on housing, housing experts reported at a recent conference in Missoula.

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the average home price in Hamilton in 2006 was $197,617 but the median income in Hamilton was $26,608.

Throughout the U.S. in 2006 the average cost of a home was $217,000, according to Census data, while the U.S. national median income was $46,326.

Reporter Anthony Quirini can be reached at 363-3300 or aquirini@ravallirepublic.com