Possible Milltown Apartments opening date nears

SANDPOINT — U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel following long delays in the opening of Milltown Apartments.

An affordable housing project located just north of Super 1, the apartments and townhouses were originally scheduled to be opened in August. Numerous delays, however, pushed that opening date back weeks at a time. For many individuals planning to move into the affordable housing complex, the sight of the apartments, lit up at night and looking cozy as ever, is a frustrating one, according to Tamie Martinsen of the Bonner County Homeless Taskforce and Transitions in Progress Services.

“One woman told me she has been homeless for two months because of this,” she said.  

The delays are associated with a federal loan from the USDA, which has taken longer than expected to authorize and approve. An inopportunely-timed government shutdown didn’t help matters either, according to project developer Todd Prescott.

However, efforts to open the housing units are moving in the right direction.

According to Christine Fisher of the USDA North Idaho office, the involvement of several different private and public entities is a contributing factor to the delays. Legal departments from banks, the federal government and taxing agencies need to review and sign off on the project, and that’s proven a time-consuming process. Nevertheless, Fisher is optimistic the department will be able to announce an opening date soon, she said.

“It’s unfortunate that this has taken so long,” she added. “We’ve received a lot of calls about it.”

That’s good news for the individuals waiting to make their move as the winter cold sets in. Martinsen knows several individuals who have been made homeless after closing previous rental agreements to take advantage of the new affordable housing, she said.

To their credit, Milltown Apartment managers have attempted to get displaced individuals in other apartment complexes in the interim, Martinsen added. However, because these complexes don’t mitigate rent based on individual income as the Milltown apartments will, it’s not an effective solution.

“For a lot of people, it’s just not sustainable,” Martinsen said.

Despite the difficulties, Martinsen said many of her clients are keeping a sunny outlook. The Milltown Apartments have a host of quality features, including income-based rent, geothermal and solar heating and cooling to mitigate utility payments, high efficiency ratings and a very convenient location to schools and grocery stores. Based on all those factors, Martinsen said one of her clients remains excited to settle into her new home.

“While all this has really frustrated her, she’s very grateful that these kind of opportunities are being made available,” Martinsen said.