State task force reconvenes to tackle housing in Montana

(The Center Square) – Montana’s task force to address housing policy reconvened this week, Gov. Greg Gianforte’s office announced.

Gianforte said the task force begins work again after achieving legislative “wins” during the last session. Lawmakers passed laws reforming zoning rules and allow affordable housing development. Several bills were also passed to cut red tape in order to streamline permitting and development.

“There’s more work to do to bring the American dream of homeownership into greater reach for Montanans, and I look forward to the innovative ideas and continued leadership of our task force members,” said Gianforte, who extended the task force by executive order in June.

The task force was convened to “find solutions to the drivers of a tight supply of affordable, attainable housing, including a lack of available construction labor, land use regulations, zoning restrictions preventing supply from increasing to meet demand, and a lack of land developers and land to develop,” the executive order stated.

The task force is chaired by Department of Environmental Quality Director Chris Dorrington and includes 30 members ranging from state and local officials, economists, and stakeholders.

“I’m thrilled to join Governor Gianforte’s Housing Task Force for Phase II of our work identifying solutions to eliminate unnecessary barriers in the way of homeownership and help make Montana a more welcoming and affordable place for workers, renters, and young families to live,” Kendall Cotton, a task force member and President/CEO of the Frontier Institute think tank, told The Center Square.