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Council approves $1 million in East Billings TIF for SkyView workforce housing project
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Summary
The council approved a $1,000,000 tax‑increment financing reimbursement for SkyView Residences (an 18‑unit workforce/LMI project replacing blighted structures), with payments staged across two fiscal years and conditions tied to environmental remediation and project financing.
The East Billings Urban Renewal District (EBURD) presented a request to reimburse SkyView Residences up to $1,000,000 to support redevelopment of four deteriorated buildings into an 18‑unit workforce housing complex financed through layered sources including low‑income housing tax credits, trust‑fund loans and private investment. Staff explained the request would be structured over two years ($750,000 in FY28 and $250,000 in FY29). The developer and NeighborWorks Montana will manage the TIF reimbursement structure and oversee site remediation and demolition.
Council members asked about high per‑unit and per‑square‑foot costs, prevailing‑wage implications and whether including the land in the TIF structure materially improved feasibility. EBURD representatives said prevailing‑wage and EBURD design standards increase upfront costs, but packaging land and remediation in the financing made the project viable and kept dilutive city dollars lower than alternatives.
Several council members said they were concerned about the apparent high all‑in per‑unit cost; others argued removing blight and stabilizing a neighborhood with new workforce housing justified the investment. After debate and a failed amendment to reduce the TIF amount, the council approved the EBURD recommendation for up to $1,000,000 in TIF reimbursement (vote passed with two council members opposed).
