BIG SKY — The 52-unit neighborhood of Meadow View, in Big Sky, is the community's first "permanently affordable homeownership" development.
The neighborhood is designed specifically for residents who work full-time in the community.
WATCH: Big Sky's median home price is $2.6 million, but one nonprofit is creating affordable options for local workers
“When people ask why we bought in Meadow View, it comes down to the fact that we were purchasing stability,” said Meadow View resident Jennifer Boutsianis. “It wasn’t like we were investing in a property we could then sell at a higher value. We were investing in ourselves and being able to stay here.”
Boutsianis has lived and worked in Big Sky since 2015. She now works as stewardship coordinator for the Big Sky Community Housing Trust — the organization behind the Meadow View development.
She said she fell in love with Big Sky almost immediately.
“There are so many people who fall in love with it after a few seasons, and they’re like, 'How do I stay?',” she said. “It’s a labor of love to stay in Big Sky.”
The Housing Trust was formed ten years ago after the Big Sky Chamber of Commerce initiated a community-led response to a growing housing crisis.
Executive Director at Big Sky Community House Trust, David O’Connor, remembers a different time when he moved to Big Sky.
“I moved here in 1990 — housing at that time was accessible and attainable,” said O’Connor. “I started at an entry-level job, worked my way up, and bought a starter condo. And that path has really closed today for a new entrance into the community.”
O’Connor, the former owner and general manager of Buck’s T-4 Lodge (now Buck's Roadhouse), said, it "doesn't seem fair that I was able to progress through this community and create a family here, and that isn't available today."
According to an Explore Big Sky article, nearly 75 percent of people employed in Big Sky commute from surrounding communities.
Data from Bozeman Real Estate Group shows the median price of a single-family home in Big Sky is $2.6 million, while the median condo price exceeds $1 million.
By contrast, two-bedroom condos in Meadow View resold in 2025 for roughly $360,000.
“The full-time, year-round workforce is a critical factor of what makes Big Sky such a great place to live, work, and play,” said O’Connor. “It’s really important that we carve out space in our community for them.”
The Housing Trust’s next major project aims to expand that impact.
“Our Cold Smoke neighborhood — that’s a much larger scale project,” said O’Connor. “We look to be able to serve a wider range of incomes of full-time Big Sky employees.”
The Cold Smoke neighborhood will include 389 affordable rental and for-sale homes on a 99-acre site near the town center.
Planning for the neighborhood is still underway.
“Cold Smoke will definitely be the next rung of the ladder, for my neighbors to be able to stay in Big Sky and afford something that can accommodate their growing families,” said Boutsianis.
The name itself of the neighborhood...
"It speaks to where we're located and what brought most people to the area," said Boutsianis. "Those powder turns."
