Gallatin County, United Housing Partners LLC, HRDC IX, and the City of Bozeman will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hidden Creek Community at 805 Oak Park Drive on May 1 from 1 to 3 p.m., according to an April 29 announcement. The event signals the beginning of construction on a project aimed at expanding affordable housing options in Gallatin County by developing a previously vacant five-acre parcel within Bozeman.
The initiative is significant for local residents seeking stable and affordable homes. The Hidden Creek Community will offer both rental apartments and opportunities for homeownership, addressing housing needs that have become more pressing during recent years.
Gallatin County Commission Chair Zach Brown said, “This project started as a County Commission brainstorming session and has now been in the works for more than five years. It is an incredible community accomplishment that we are finally breaking ground. This project represents an inspiring level of community partnership and ingenuity, born from the depths of our pandemic-era housing crisis. These units will provide dignified homes for working-class residents in perpetuity. On behalf of our organization and the people of Gallatin County, I am so grateful for this result.”
The development features Hidden Creek Apartments—a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) complex with 182 apartments—which will help establish a future community land trust containing nine equity-restricted homes available for purchase and another parcel reserved by Gallatin County for later use. Seth O’Connell, Developer at United Housing Partners LLC, said, “Hidden Creek provides a blueprint for how public-private partnerships can deliver affordable housing solutions to Montana communities. These projects are complex and require a large commitment from all parties…but if everyone works together, great things can happen. I hope the lessons we’ve learned at Hidden Creek will help bring similar successes across the state.”
Funding includes $2.46 million in ARPA funds contributed by Gallatin County along with donated land; $2 million awarded by the City of Bozeman through Gallatin Impact Funds; as well as development incentives under Bozeman’s Affordable Housing Ordinance. United Housing Partners structured financing using twelve different sources.
Heather Grenier, President/CEO of HRDC IX said: “Hidden Creek represents a meaningful step forward in ensuring more people in the Bozeman community can actually live where they also work. Through this partnership, homes will be affordable at a range of income levels, better meeting the needs of our local workforce. This is exactly the kind of collaborative, community-driven solution we need more of.”
The project consists of five LIHTC apartment buildings—four three-story structures plus one four-story building with an elevator—serving households earning between 30% and 70% Area Median Income (AMI). All forty units set aside at or below 30% AMI will include Project-Based Vouchers supported by Montana Housing and Department of Commerce.
City of Bozeman Mayor Joey Morrison said: “We need housing like this that supports residents earning at lower income levels… And we’ve only been able to get at these deeper levels of affordability because of things like donated land, financial subsidies, development incentives, and partnership and collaboration. We have all believed in this project from the start, and I’m eager to see it completed.”
Construction has begun on Hidden Creek Community with leasing expected to begin July 2027.
