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Trout Lake council members cautious after regional affordable‑housing briefing
Summary
Council members who attended an ORFH briefing reported optimism about housing options but raised logistics and septic concerns, and warned that ‘affordable’ units could later become vacation homes.
Several Trout Lake council members who attended an ORFH briefing reported mixed reactions at the Oct. 7 meeting, citing both opportunity and practical obstacles to local affordable housing.
"We do need housing - but not on farmland," Daina Bambe said when summarizing community concerns voiced at the briefing. Aaron Schmid said he came away "optimistic and concerned about logistics," asking specifically who would oversee development and how septic systems would be handled. Pat Arnold told the council that septic issues "would be worked out" and noted new technology for systems.
The council discussed forest cluster housing and whether provisions that previously allowed clustered development on SDS forest land still apply; members also flagged a risk that homes identified as "affordable" could later be sold as vacation properties at prices out of reach for local workers. Dave Wampler volunteered to join a working group to coordinate with ORFH; Joanna Turner will ask the Trout Lake Center for a representative. Council members noted the ORFH grant application requires a nonprofit applicant and that the Trout Lake Council is not incorporated as a nonprofit.
