The Rugby Job Development Authority (JDA) is hosting a Community Housing Forum this Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. This public forum will be held at the Dakota Farms near the Northern Lights Inn. All are welcome to attend.

The JDA worked with Community Partners Research, Inc. to conduct a housing survey of Rugby last fall. The results of that comprehensive housing study will be released at the forum.

Housing has been short in the Rugby area for the last couple of years. Few homes are available to sell in Rugby at the present time. Rental homes and apartments are mostly filled. In order to attract new people to the area, adequate housing must be provided.

The goals of the study were to: provide updated demographic data; provide an analysis of the current housing stock and inventory; determine gaps or unmet housing needs; examine future housing trends that the area can expect to address in the coming years; provide a market analysis for future housing development; and provide housing recommendations and findings.

Many factors were studied to be able to explain why the Rugby Area has a housing shortage. Some of those factors are: population decline, employment opportunities, new housing construction over the past ten years has decreased, annual sales volume has decreased in the last few years and the median price of homes has decreased, no new rental construction has occurred since the 2000 census, and there are very few vacancies in rental property as they have waiting lists.

The company that conducted the study has provided findings and recommendations for the Rugby Area. The findings/recommendations have been divided into the following five categories: Rental Housing Development, Home Ownership, Single Family New Construction, Housing Rehabilitation, and Other Housing Initiatives.

To find out the recommendations and discuss the direction the city should take, residents need to attend this meeting. Input from the public is important.

The Job Development Authority has gone to a lot of work to find out the housing needs of the Rugby Area. Come and join in the discussion to keep Rugby moving forward.