“Our ballot initiative seeks to promote water conservation, while at the same time increasing the supply of affordable housing,” resident Dan Carty said from the steps of the courthouse building.

The group, with local environmental attorney John Meyer of Cottonwood Environmental Law, submitted the petition to the Gallatin County elections office on Tuesday morning. The county will give the language to the city, which would then have a month to respond with any suggested wording changes.

Then, the group would have to gather signatures to get the petition on the November ballot.

The city used to have a policy requiring 10% of units in developments of more than 10 homes to be priced affordably. Developers also had the option to pay fees in lieu of building homes. The Montana State Legislature struck down the law in 2021.

The proposed language specifies that the 33% affordable units would need to be deed restricted for 75 years or more, and be affordable for sale to those making 100% of area median income, or for rent for those making 60% of the area median income. It also clarifies that the affordable units “must be built to the same quality, standards and size as those sold or rented at market rate.”

Alison Sweeney, who is involved with the group, said they hoped to strike a balance between affordable housing and the financial feasibility of projects. They also wanted to “buy time” for the city’s water planning.

“We need projects to move forward and we need projects to be built, but we have to prioritize the housing that we actually need. And that is housing accessible and attainable to people who live and work here,” Sweeney said. “We have to build the housing we need but we need the time to find solutions to the water issue.”

Megan Wolff, policy director with advocacy group Beyond Plastics, said she thought the idea was inventive.

“I think it’s an incredibly clever way of solving one problem with another,” Wolff said.