Last Thursday, the Montana Department of Commerce announced the City of Three Forks was one of 37 Montana communities that will share nearly $1 million in grant funding to plan infrastructure projects to create more affordable workforce housing in the state.
The funding is provided by Commerce’s Montana Community Reinvestment (MCR) grant program.
The City of Three Forks will receive $27,500 of MCR grant funding for zoning and subdivision regulations updates. Gallatin County will receive $30,000 of MCR grant funding for a zoning regulations update.
“As Montana’s population continues to grow and our economy steadily expands, the need for more workforce housing across the state is on the rise. We need to make certain our communities will be ready to provide more affordable homes for our citizens,” said Paul Green, Director of the Montana Department of Commerce. “This grant funding will help community leaders assess housing needs, as well as plan and prepare infrastructure projects that will enable more affordable homes to be built across the state.”
The MCR program provides planning grants to local and tribal governments for planning and zoning reforms to develop community-based solutions to increase the number of affordable homes, with an emphasis on increasing workforce housing infrastructure in Montana.
In 2023, the Montana Legislature passed the Montana Community Reinvestment Plan Act, House Bill (HB) 819, to begin addressing housing needs in Montana. Section 22 of HB 819 appropriated $1 million to Commerce to provide grants and administer the MCR program.
For more information about the MCR program, visit comdev.mt.gov.