Affordable housing project fulfills a need

The Reisch Family Partnership is requesting a conditional use permit to turn the former Whitefish Independent High School building into a boarding house for seasonal workers.

As many Whitefish businesses know, affordable housing for entry level workers is almost non-existent. Rather than being part of the problem, the Reisches is attempting to be part of the solution. Their plan is to provide a “dormitory-style” experience, with up to four people sharing a unit, with strict rules against alcohol, drug use, or unruly behavior. Tenants would sign a lease to stay a minimum of 30 days, and the rent would be between $300 and $400 per month.

I have been nervous about the kinds of projects Whitefish would undertake to contend with our alleged affordable housing crisis. In other attractive communities, city leaders have used government imposed price/rent control programs or cost shifting models to make housing “affordable.” Unfortunately, these government-based models often violate the basic laws of economics, resulting in housing prices growing many times faster than if the affordable housing initiatives were never implemented at all. However, I have great confidence in the Reisch project because it is supplying an affordable housing experience to meet the current demand at a price point where the renter is paying for the value they are receiving. Unlike government programs — where others in the community are made responsible for the costs of failed ideas — the Reisch Family Partnership is shouldering all of the financial risk of their idea.

We need to encourage Whitefish community leaders to support this and other grassroots free market solutions to meet Whitefish’s growing demand for worker housing, and because government subsidy or price control programs generally don’t work, subsidies and price controls should be aggressively opposed. Whitefish can best solve its housing shortage by relying more on the laws of economics and less on the whims of social engineering.

Joe Coco, Whitefish