Bigsky on The Bozeman Daily Bee

New 'mountain modest' condos list at $1.2 million, locals nod knowingly

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:48:49 +0000

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Tuesday for Aspen Ridge Reserve, a 24-unit development marketing itself as “mountain modest living for the discerning few.” The two-bedroom units start at $1.2 million and feature quartz countertops, radiant heat, and a shared shuttle to the Mountain Village gondola.

Developer Trent Holloway of Holloway Mountain Properties described the project as “an attainable entry point for families who want authentic Big Sky character without the Yellowstone Club price tag.” He said the phrase “authentic Big Sky character” three times in four minutes.

Big Sky listening session draws two crowds who agree the other one is the problem

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:37:20 +0000

A community listening session on the Big Sky Resort Area District master plan filled the Buck’s T-4 Lodge meeting room Tuesday evening, with roughly 60 residents arranged in what several attendees described as “an extremely polite standoff.”

Longtime residents who bought condos in the 1990s sat on the left side of the room. Newer arrivals who purchased in the last five years occupied the right. The aisle down the middle remained empty, a buffer zone maintained without discussion.

Big Sky residents navigate summer rush, reminisce about when it was just us

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 06:10:10 +0000

The line at the post office stretched to the parking lot Tuesday morning, a mix of lifted Subarus and leased Range Rovers idling in the same slow rhythm. Nobody honked. That would be rude.

“I remember when you could drive to Lone Peak and back before lunch,” said Dale Harkness, 68, leaning against his 1998 Tacoma with 340,000 miles. He bought his place off South Fork in 1994 for what a single lift ticket costs now. “Now I plan an hour just for the roundabout.”

Big Sky workforce housing project breaks ground, units start at 'call for pricing'

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 17:14:00 +0000

BIG SKY — Ground was broken Tuesday on the new Meadow View Workforce Housing Initiative, a 42-unit development billed as “attainable homes for the people who keep this town running.” The ceremony drew both populations of Big Sky: the pre-boom boomers in faded Patagonia fleece, and the post-boom buyers in new Patagonia fleece. They stood on opposite sides of the excavated lot and did not speak.

“We’ve needed this for thirty years,” said Dale Hargrove, 68, who bought his cabin near Spanish Peaks in 1994 for what is now the price of a used Subaru. “Back when I was lifting at Lone Mountain, we just slept in the break room. Called it employee housing. Nobody wrote a grant.”

Big Sky visioning session finds common ground in disagreeing about everything

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 14:55:33 +0000

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Big Sky Chapel basement Tuesday night for the resort area’s first Community Visioning Session in three years. The meeting drew both populations: the pre-boom boomers who bought when a condo cost a summer’s wages, and the post-boom buyers who refer to 2019 as “vintage.”

Facilitator Marge Pendleton of Ennis opened by asking attendees to write one word describing Big Sky’s future on sticky notes. “Growth” appeared seventeen times. “Stop” appeared fourteen. “Trader Joe’s” appeared three times, all in the same handwriting.

Big Sky residents debate whether new workforce housing is too nice or not nice enough

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 10:39:05 +0000

A proposed workforce housing development on the old Hardy Ranch parcel drew a standing-room crowd to the Big Sky Community Corporation meeting room Tuesday evening. The project, dubbed “Meadow View Commons,” would add 48 units priced between $650,000 and $950,000 — a price point developers describe as “attainable for local professionals.”

Longtime resident Marge Holloway, 72, arrived at 5:30 p.m. to secure a seat. She remembers when a ski pass cost $12 and a lot in Moonlight Basin went for the price of a decent truck. “They call it workforce housing,” Holloway said, “but the last workforce I saw around here was the crew that built my neighbor’s heated driveway.”

Big Sky 'attainable' housing listings start at $725K, locals note that's just a condo with a view of the parking lot

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:40:46 +0000

A new development marketed as “workforce attainable” opened its waitlist Monday at the Basecamp Commons sales office. The one-bedroom units begin at $725,000 and include a storage locker and access to a shared hot tub.

Dale Henshaw, who bought his A-frame on Andesite Road in 1989 for $42,000, stood in line with a thermos of black coffee. “Attainable used to mean you could swing it on a lift ticket and a summer painting gig,” he said. “Now it means you need a portfolio and a parent’s signature.”

Big Sky 'workforce housing' units list at $1.2 million, locals call it 'a start'

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 10:19:20 +0000

A new deed-restricted housing development in Big Sky opened its waitlist Tuesday. The three-bedroom units start at $1.2 million.

Developers at Mountain Vista Partners say the price reflects construction costs and land values. “We’re delivering attainable homeownership for the local workforce,” said principal Mark Hensley, 406-555-0142.

The deed restriction caps resale appreciation at 3% annually. Buyers must prove 30 hours of local employment per week. Short-term rentals are prohibited.

Longtime resident Gail Pritchard, 72, bought her cabin near Lone Mountain in 1998 for forty-five thousand dollars. She watched the waitlist open from her kitchen window.