HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-02-20 Public Comment - B. Hunt - Bozeman's Boulevard and Darlinton Apartments preservation and renovationFrom:Beth Hunt
To:Agenda
Subject:Bozeman"s Boulevard and Darlinton Apartments preservation and renovation
Date:Wednesday, December 2, 2020 1:31:14 PM
To whom it may concern,
Please support HRDC's request for assistance for the Boulevard and Darlinton
Apartments preservation and renovation. Their efforts will preserve 141
subsidized rental homes, ensuring that our most vulnerable neighbors have
access to safe, affordable homes. Affordable housing is as important now as it
has ever been. With rising construction costs making new market rate multi-
family residential projects ever more expensive to build and live in, finding
quality housing at affordable rates has become more and more difficult in
Montana.
The Affordable Housing needs assessment notes that the community is already
in desperate need of additional housing units for people at all income levels.
As Bozeman continues to grow, the preservation of affordable housing like the
Boulevard and Darlinton Manor is critical. At this time, only 5% of the City's
rentals are affordable to households earning less than 60% AMI, however 45%
of renters fall below this income level. Only 1% of units are affordable to very
low income households earning less than 30% AMI. Our community is already
in an extreme housing crisis; the loss of these units would be staggering, and
the subsidy irreplaceable.
Preservation of homes that are affordable to community members is a key
priority of HRDC. Having worked with HRDC with the construction and
operations of the Castle Mountain Apartments in White Sulphur Springs, I can
recommend HRDC with complete and total confidence.
Sincerely,
Beth Hunt
Beth Hunt
Executive Director
PO Box 682
White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
406-547-3651