BOISE, Idaho — Apartments, condos, townhouses and all types of multifamily housing are popping up all over the area, but will people keep building them?

Construction Coverage analyzed census data and found that an increasing share of housing units being built or planned to be built are in multifamily housing. Currently, just over 16% of existing housing units in Idaho are in multifamily housing. The number of new residential units expected in multi-family buildings is twice as high at more than 32%. That means nearly 6,000 new multifamily apartments, condos or townhouses will be built in Idaho.

“They’re piling up everywhere,” said Dan Richter, former president of the Idaho Home Builders Association and a builder himself.

He said the increase in multifamily housing is due to affordability. As you might expect, people find it easier to pay rent on an apartment or buy a condo than it is to afford a single-family home.

“It’s an affordable option right now, but hopefully things will get back in order and people who are just starting out in life can buy a starter home and work their way up,” Richter said. “I hope we get back to that.” , and we see that positive things have happened here in the last few months.

While there are still few single-family homes available, as we reported last week, the single-family home market is heating up. And Richter believes that’s a sign that apartment and condo construction will soon slow as people look for homes closer to wide-open spaces.

“I think it will subside because I don’t think the population of Idaho or those who come to Idaho are coming here to live in an apartment, a duplex or a townhouse. They come here to have that kind of lifestyle that we all enjoyed.

That being said, Idaho’s great outdoors is accessible from several types of neighborhoods around the Valley: apartments, condos, or single-family homes. But this is more common with a single-family home and you get your own property.