$4,000 For 2-Bedroom Apartment in Williston -- Predictable Outcome -- Bakken, North Dakota, USA

Big front page story in Williston Herald today on $4,000 rent for apartments, Sunday, October 2, 2011, or at least I think it's the Sunday edition. Groundhog day in the Bakken and I lose track of time.

I don't have a dog in that fight, but I will post the link and a short clip since regional links break early and break often.

The first application was brought forth by Cudd Energy. Cudd Energy was requesting renewal of an existing conditional use permit approved in November for a one-year period and to expand the existing 64-bed facility to a 120-bed facility. The facility would be constructed in phases. The complex would be two or three stories. The first phase would be 75 beds. As the new facility is constructed the other facility would be phased out.

Cudd Energy Services District Manager Kelly G. Kelly said there is a need to expand the current facility due to the lack of housing in the area. He said he has seen apartments renting for $4,000. More people are continuing to move to the area with not enough homes available to purchase or apartments to rent.

It was my impression that Cudd was warmly received when the company moved to Williston a year or so ago; I guess the honeymoon has worn off. Cudd was given the cold shoulder. 

It appears to be a win-win for all. Local landlords can charge $4,000 for a two-room apartment that was renting for $700 last year, and $300 the year before, and the oil companies can move their man-camps south of the river. The state has widened the highway and can bear a bit more traffic. "South of the river" is only ten miles (and less) for all the oil service companies west of Williston.

Interestingly enough, the Williston Herald is on the right side on this issue.

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After thought.

I agree with the commission on this one.  I don't like the idea of man-camps, dormitories, RV trailers, shanties, etc., inside industrial parks. I won't go into all the reasons.

It would be great to see an undertaking similar to what happened to Lynn, Massachusetts, peri-WWII, when General Electric moved in and pretty much took over the city. In this case, the oil service companies need to look at Indian Hill, south of the river the way GE looked at Lynn in the 20th century. [Update: a more familiar example is Levittown, NY. I wanted to use that as the example, but I couldn't remember the city. DH reminded me that it was Levittown in a comment at another post.]

Chaos is self-organizing. The oil service companies are fighting City Hall. There are easier fights to pick. The oil service companies are spending too much time on finding an answer to the housing situation when the answer is staring them in the face. (Note: this is not an original idea for me; someone else suggested it to me some months ago.)

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As long as I've digressed this far, I might as well throw in this story. The Williston Park Board, on the advice of its lawyer to appraise the deal, nixed plans to have a 15.7-acre playground and park for children and parents in the new 2,200 unit development northwest of Williston.

I'm not sure about the "2,200 units" -- the number remains in flux. Now that the plans for a playground have been nixed, the developer will put houses on the lots.

The story is very, very confusing, and folks should read the original story at the link. It is still there today, but regional links break early and break often.

I often wonder if Donald Trump has ever asked the city for an appraisal of Central Park in New York City to see if it's worth keeping as a park, or whether they Kennedys ever thought to appraise the Boston Common Frog Pond. I haven't spent much time in Central Park (New York City) but I have spent a lot of time at the Frog Pond and have very, very fond memories.

Hmmm, I just can't get it out of my mind that there won't be a 16-acre park where there could have been one. Wow. Hmmm.