Housing developments around Margaret Bay as seen from Haystack Hill. (Lauren Adams/KUCB)

For decades, new residents have flocked to Unalaska in search of steady pay and cheap housing. But with limited space and high construction costs, building that housing has never been easy.

Tonight, city staff will start prioritizing ways to fix that problem. They’re convening a special city council meeting to delve into the history of the housing shortage and to look at next steps.

They’ll hear from the planning department on how much new housing is actually needed. A 2010 city study estimated that residents wanted 250 more rental units and almost 100 more homes to own -- but staff say that was with a much smaller population than there is now.

Tonight, they’ll talk about financial incentives for building, and places where new housing could go. In her memo to council, planning director Erin Reinders says the issue will be even more urgent if the oil and gas industries start adding new jobs in town.

“We are hearing reports of property owners setting up housing geared toward companies and reserving units specifically for the possible influx of oil and other supporting companies,” she writes. “Although we do not know what impacts oil and gas activities will have on Unalaska in the long run, it is worth noting that similar activities have had dramatic impacts on other communities [such as in North Dakota].”

Those impacts would stretch to all the town’s major employers, too, as they jockey for housing space. The city of Unalaska is one of those employers -- and they’re looking at ways to build their own housing for their workers, as they’ve done in the past.

Assistant city manager Patrick Jordan will talk about that tonight. He says in his memo to council that long waiting lists for city dwellings are making it tough to fill open positions.

The city’s also looking for public input on the whole issue -- what to do for city employees, and how to grow the housing market for everyone else. Residents can weigh in at tonight’s meeting, likely the first of many. It’s 6 p.m. at City Hall.