Affordable Housing
What Can Solve The Crisis?
Feb 2024
Scarce affordable housing is a critical problem, frustrating local employers who attract great new employees, only to lose them due to the lack of housing options. Buffalo must find a way to solve this problem to avoid losing out to other communities.
Creating affordable housing solutions is a complicated process. High land prices, labor, and materials costs make it unattractive for a developer unless there is some local sweetener.
Some months ago, Gerald Spiering, a Buffalo resident and City Planning & Zoning Chairman, realized that someone needed to lead an effort to provide affordable housing solutions to Buffalo’s housing shortage. He called for action and has been working on finding solutions ever since.
Gerald Spiering explains the progress made in finding solutions and what can be done next.
Note: The interview mentions a visit to Red Lodge, MT, with Scott Madsen (City Council), Jeff Shelley (County Commissioner), Travis Lawrence (First Northern Bank), Luke Senden (CEO JC Healthcare Center), and Terry Asay (City Building Inspector + Planning Director). It was a day trip, and the costs were gas for one vehicle from Buffalo/Red Lodge and a modest lunch.
