Williston Housing Needs Continue To Rise -- July, 2013, Assessment

In the most recent edition of The Williston Wire, there was yet another story about the debate on the need for continued/more temporary housing in Williams County.

One piece of data was sent to me by a reader from a banking conference held in a windy city east of Minneapolis, but west of New York City.

This is the projected housing demand for four counties in the oil patch over the next decade:

Current pent-up demand (need housing right now); again numbers rounded:

• McKenzie County (Watford City): 3,000
• Stark County (Dickinson): 1,500
• Ward County (Minot): 3,500
• Williams County (Williston): 5,000

2013 - 2023, additional demand

• McKenzie County (Watford City): 2,000
• Stark County (Dickinson): 10,000
• Ward County (Minot): 9,000
• Williams County (Williston): 25,000 (no typo)

Total demand through 2023

• McKenzie County (Watford City): 5,000
• Stark County (Dickinson): 12,000
• Ward County (Minot): 13,000
• Williams County (Williston): 31,000

The County has been working this issue since 2007. I remember a comment from a reader back in the 2009 time-period in which he said that the failure to react to the projections of housing needs at that time would continue to haunt us well into the boom.