A new housing development proposed on the east side of Great Falls is drawing mixed reactions from residents and local officials, with supporters calling it a step toward addressing the city’s housing shortage, and opponents warning it could worsen problems tied to affordability and infrastructure.
The proposed IX Blessings Mobile Home Park would bring more than 140 manufactured home lots to a 25-acre site near Seventh Avenue North and 42nd Street North, just south of Morningside Elementary School.
Aneesa Coomer reports – watch the video here:
Manufactured home park proposal moves to City Commission for approval
According to the City Planning Department, the project could help meet Great Falls’ growing need for affordable housing, and fits in with the City’s Growth Plan.
Andrew Finch, senior transportation planner for the City of Great Falls, says, “The city is promoting infill lots. When there’s already public infrastructure in the area, those are the best places for new development because they cost the taxpayers less to manage into the future.”
Jake Clark, Vice President of Business Development for the Great Falls Development Alliance wrote to the City in support of the project, saying the development could be part of a broader effort to address an estimated shortfall of more than 650 housing units per year in Great Falls.
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But some Great Falls residents say the project may bring, especially in a state with few protections for people living in manufactured home communities.
Cindy Newman lives in a similar manufactured home park nearby. She says, “Our once affordable homes are not affordable anymore. There are people living here every day who have to decide if they’re going to be able to absorb the next big rent hike.”
Cindy has lived in her park for 25 years. When investors bought the property five years ago, she says lot rent for new residents climbed from $275 in 2020, to now nearly $900. She worries that the same trend could unfold at the IX Blessings development.
She says, “It’s just going to bring a lot more people into a situation where the laws favor the landowner. They’re going to be in exactly the same boat as all of the rest of us, no power, no rights really, to fight back.”
She says Montana’s laws for mobile home residents are among the loosest in the country, with few requirements for notice before rent increases and limited opportunities for residents to buy their lots when a park is sold.
She explains, “It’s really much more desirable for investors to come into states like Montana. Thirty-eight other states have good laws for people who live in manufactured homes. So that’s what we’re up against.”
Great Falls resident Ron Paulick has also been vocal about opposing the project. He says he’s not against new development but is skeptical of the long-term stability of large mobile home parks.
“In the long run, they start to deteriorate,” he says. “If the rents start going up, people can’t afford the homes. And then your property values nearby drop, and you can’t get the return on your investment on that particular property.”
Paulick has also been outspoken that the project could strain nearby infrastructure and add congestion in an already busy area, especially around Morningside Elementary School.
That concern was echoed this summer by Great Falls Public Schools Superintendent Heather Hoyer, who wrote an email to city planners outlining the district’s concerns. Hoyer noted that Morningside Elementary is nearing capacity and that the project’s proposed entrance could worsen congestion during student drop-off and pick-up times. She urged developers to be mindful and reconsider entrance and exit locations, and requested the City’s assistance with added crosswalks and sidewalks nearby.
Finch said the city has conducted a traffic assessment of the area and reviewed potential traffic impacts. They found that nearby roads can accommodate the additional vehicles generated by the project.
He explains, “The nice thing about traffic on that road is there’s a bit of an offset between rush hour and school drop-off. That gives us enough capacity on the roadway to accommodate the growth.”
If the project is approved, Finch says the developer will be responsible for paying for new sidewalks, stormwater upgrades, and landscaping along 7th Avenue North.
He says, “The development would pay for that, and build a boulevard-style, tree-lined sidewalk with a landscape buffer. We’re also looking at enhanced crossings in that area.”
Still, residents like Cindy and Ron say they hope city officials move forward carefully, balancing growth with safety, infrastructure, and the realities of housing affordability.
The IX Blessings Mobile Home Park proposal has received a recommendation from the City Planning and Community Development Department and is expected to go before the City Commission for final consideration in the coming weeks.
Click here to read more about the proposal (PDF).
IX Blessings is based in Missoula; click here to visit the website.
(JULY 25, 2025) Brock Cherry, the Development & Planning Manager for the City of Great Falls, jokes that Neighborhood Council 4 typically doesn’t receive a lot of action.
He’s referring to the zones in which the city of Great Falls is divided for city politics. Neighborhood councils field issues, listening to their residents in their designated zones before approaching the city with recommendations or suggested action.
WATCH THE REPORT:
New housing proposal in Great Falls generates concerns
Council 4 makes up the north-eastern limits of the city, from 36th Street North to 10th Avenue South to 57th Street South.
On Thursday night, Neighborhood Council 4 held their regularly scheduled meeting. The only difference was the more than 100 people in attendance.
So why all the clamor?
The neighborhood council is seeking a decision on a recommendation to annex a lot of 154 manufactured homes at 4600 7th Avenue South. The total plot of annexed land would total just over 24 acres.
The council presided over the agenda item, inviting city planners, lot developer, project manager, and the public, many of whom were disgruntled, to the meeting.
Nine Blessings is the interested developer looking to repurpose the land. The company is based in Missoula, and has a solid track record of property development in the state.
They made an effort to dispel the notion the land would be turned into a “trailer park”, instead selling the idea that the manufactured homes, priced at about $100,000-$140,000 a piece, would be developed into a well-lit, walkable community, complete with a dog park, basketball courts, and pickleball court.
City code allows for 10 properties to be built per square acre. Nine Blessings say they’re shooting for only six per acre.
Still, neighbors aren’t particularly happy. Many concerns arose over taxation, safety, traffic, maintenance costs, homebuyer equity and more.
“There’s some folks that still probably oppose this,” says Brock Cherry.
Residents complain traffic already comes to a complete gridlock in the area during school pick-up and drop-off. In addition the nearby Loy Elementary school, residents say, is already near capacity.
Realtor and concerned neighbor, Tony Peres, says the homes being built on slabs provides the land little opportunity to grow.
“You can do improvements to the home and basic remodels inside the home, but there is no expansion,” he says. “They depreciate in value from the moment you purchase them.”
This is because, Peres says, the homeowner isn’t purchasing the land. He also notes, the land is possibly the worst within city limits. The area is a natural wetland.
“Many developers have looked at it to build and to develop into residential homes, but that land does not support it,” he says.
Peres added a warning to the developers, that should they move forward with the project, he expects longterm maintenance costs due to buckling foundation to outweigh profitability.
Other realtors and staff with the Great Falls Development Alliance spoke out in favor for the project. Great Falls is 6500 homes short of providing a sustainable market. Many view this injection into the home buying market as welcome.
The homes would cost roughly $200,000 less than the median sales price of a home in Great Falls.
Developer group, Nine Blessings say, if the city signs off on the annexation, they’ll break ground in Spring of 2026, with a goal to complete the project within two years.
An initial motion to recommend the city approve the annexation was dismissed after disagreement amongst the council. The motion will be revisited at the next council meeting on August 28th. The Council also hope to obtain more clarifying information from both the city and developers in the meantime.
A planning board public hearing is tentatively set for 3 P.M. on September 9th at the Civic Center. The City Commission’s final decision is scheduled for October 21st. The public is asked to remain a part of the conversation, by emailing the city and speaking with local planners.
The council says information learned at these public meetings will directly impact their recommendation to the city moving forward.
Click here to read more about the proposal (PDF).
IX Blessings is based in Missoula; click here to visit the website.
