Housing Groundbreaking in New Town

The race to provide housing for a growing population in western North Dakota got a boost today.

A 20-unit apartment building was unveiled in New Town - at the same time construction was set to begin on a second building next door.

The ribbon was cut on the Wooden Bowls Estates - a collection of one, two, and three bedroom apartments on New Town's north side.

Meanwhile, work is set to begin this month on a second, 20-unit apartment building adjacent to the first.

Tribal officials say the apartments will mean a lot in the battle to provide low-cost housing to residents of the Three Affiliated Tribes who are dealing with skyrocketing rent prices due to the oil boom.

(Ken Hall, Tribal Business Council Member) "In this area we will accommodate 40 families in these two apartment complexes and any time we can help people to meet some of their needs, it's really gratifying."

(Elgin Crows Breast, Tribal Community Development) "There's a lot of gouging around here in New Town, Watford City, Williston. It hurts the people that have been here. It hurts the people that have been living here all their lives."

The apartments carry rental prices half the cost of standard apartments in the region.

The developer of the apartment complexes says there's a dire need for low cost housing.

(Tony Krejci, Developer) "They need housing and they need affordable and quality housing out here. What I saw here in my experience - it's been very much not to standard, and we want standard housing to be built and it's got to be affordable."

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Housing Groundbreaking in New Town