Outlot 2 project approved
By Jerry W. Kram
The City of New Town will finally see some housing go up on Outlot 2, 14 acres of city owned property on Sand Hill.
The New Town City Council tentatively approved an agreement with Bakken Housing and Investments to exchange the property for eight units (four duplexes) that will be used for city employee housing. In exchange, Bakken Housing will be allowed to develop and sell the remainder of the 39 lot subdivision. The agreement will go into effect once the details of the agreement are hammered out between the company and the city.
Bakken Housing’s proposal for the remainder of the project is to build homes and duplexes with living areas ranging from 1,100 to 1,800 square feet. The homes would have between two and four bedrooms and cost between $209,000 and $249,000. The company will also build homes to customer specifications.
New Town has been trying to develop the Outlot 2 property for the last three years. The city council felt that the initial proposals from developers would price the homes out of reach for most New Town residents. Part of that cost was due to the lack of infrastructure in the subdivision, so the city invested more than half a million dollars to put in streets, water and sewer lines. Part of the cost was reimbursed through and oil impact grant from the State of North Dakota.
Construction of the first homes on the site should start in June.
