Traffic impacts expected this week as modular units are transported along MT 64, Ousel Falls Road
EBS STAFF
The third and final Powder Light building will be trucked across Big Sky this week, as modular units will be stacked into “building C” to add workforce housing capacity between the two existing Powder Light buildings.
The project builds on Lone Mountain Land Company’s $400 million effort to construct workforce housing in Big Sky and surrounding communities, according to an Oct. 20 press release from LMLC. Powder Light’s third building will add 72 new beds in a mix of four- and eight-bedroom suites, with units available to all Big Sky employers through the Big Sky Community Housing Trust. In total, Powder Light will offer up to 520 beds.
“Housing and child care are the foundation of a thriving community,” Matt Kidd, LMLC president, stated in the release. “In Big Sky, we’re working together to create an elevated future where families can live where they work and our town remains vibrant and resilient into the future.”
Thirty modular units are currently stored beside Huntley Drive and Aspen Leaf Drive, and as they are transported to the Powder Light Complex along Montana Highway 64 (Lone Mountain Trail) community members should expect traffic impacts between Oct. 20 and 24.
Powder Light’s first two phases opened in late 2022 and 2023, providing housing for 448 residents in “modern shared suites,” with roughly three-quarters reserved for employees of LMLC and its affiliates, and roughly one quarter leased to other businesses in the community.
The release added emphasis on LMLC’s other housing initiatives.
Updates on RiverView, Buck’s and Cold Smoke housing projects
Three of LMLC’s five RiverView buildings have been fully occupied since winter of 2024, and the remaining two buildings will welcome residents in mid-November. “Once complete, RiverView will include five buildings offering 60 units ranging from one-bedroom apartments to eight-bedroom suites, accommodating 264 residents,” the release stated. Landscaping and campus beautification will follow in 2026.
Two additional RiverView buildings were developed separately by the Big Sky Community Housing Trust, with the first residents moving in one year ago.
Another recent workforce housing project is the Knight Building behind longtime establishment Buck’s T-4, now owned by LMLC. The building contains 95 workforce housing beds in seven- and eight-bedroom suites, and will be fully occupied this winter by employees of Moonlight Basin and One&Only Moonlight Basin.
After voter approval for Resort Tax bonding, and annexation by the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District, the housing trust is expected to close its $39.75 million purchase of Cold Smoke land this January.
The neighborhood is planned to include 264 apartments and 125 single-family homes, all deed-restricted with a mix of rent and ownership opportunities.
“Together, these projects demonstrate LMLC’s long-term commitment to addressing Big Sky’s livability challenges,” the release stated. “By investing in a diverse range of housing, from seasonal workforce accommodations to long-term community units, LMLC and its partners are helping create a more balanced, inclusive, and sustainable future for Big Sky.”
