Big Sky, Montana Breaks Ground on Major Workforce Housing Project

Big Sky has launched a major workforce housing project, with funding sources including $55 million in local resort tax bonds and a $39.7 million land purchase, to combat local affordability challenges.

The Big Sky Community Housing Trust broke ground on Cold Smoke, a 389-unit community land trust development designed exclusively for full-time Big Sky workers. This initiative aims to address workforce commuting from outside the area and provide stable housing options amid escalating local demand.

The project sits on a 99-acre parcel sold by Lone Mountain Land Company to BSCHT for $39.7 million, funded by voter-approved public debt and local resort tax bonds totaling $55 million. Additional investment from the Yellowstone Club Community Foundation bolstered financing. Cold Smoke will feature 264 deed-restricted apartments and 125 single-family homes, with occupancy slated for early 2028 and leasing beginning in 2029. The development targets year-round employees only, responding to a 2014 study that found 83 percent of Big Sky’s workforce commuted from outside the community, a figure that remains troublingly high.

Architectural renderings are underway as the project moves toward completion.

This development could serve as a model for other resort-driven economies in the state where high housing costs force key workers to commute long distances. Addressing such affordability gaps is vital for sustaining local labor markets and economic resilience in communities shaped by tourism and seasonal demand.

Big Sky breaks ground on Cold Smoke workforce housing development
By Dan Astin, Bozeman Daily Chronicle