GREAT FALLS — On August 12, 2025, Cascade County commissioners voted in favor of providing 10 acres of land at Second Avenue NW and 22nd Street NW to NeighborWorks Great Falls (NWGF) for the development of 25 affordable single-family homes. It's located just west of I-15 and north of Central Avenue West.
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Homes will be built through NWGF's USDA-funded mutual self-help program, in which qualifying low-income families contribute 30 hours of labor per week for 12 to 16 months.
“They all start at the same time to put the sweat equity in, to build their own home,” said Sherrie Arey, director of NeighborWorks.
The income restrictions range from $50,900 for an individual to $72,650 for a family of four. Similar to previous ventures, such as Rockcress Commons, these residences are expected to be worth roughly $380,000.
The site was donated to the county in 1977 for use as baseball fields and has remained unused for decades. Given that the land is currently unoccupied, one may think that a decision like this would not be controversial as struggling families would have a place to live, an opportunity to work, and the land would be going to use. However, it isn’t that cut and dry.
Some neighbors opposed the idea because they were concerned about the loss of recreation space, infrastructure, and property value, while advocates saw it as a means to convert empty land into much-needed housing.
When many people think of lower-income housing, they do not have a good image in their minds. But Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs wants to reassure citizens that “The local, average household income. You only have to be under 80% of that to qualify. So, this is pretty much middle-income housing.”
One of the bigger controversies surrounding the project is the tax that it would put on other community members. The project would require utility expansions, stormwater infrastructure, and road modifications.
