diff --git a/docker/main/ngen/Dockerfile b/docker/main/ngen/Dockerfile
index 6bedbd2f6..f126661a9 100644
--- a/docker/main/ngen/Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/main/ngen/Dockerfile
@@ -65,7 +65,6 @@ ARG BOOST_VERSION=1.82.0
 #mpich 3.2 doesn't work well gfortran 11 it seems, an alignment error crops up, but 3.3.2 seems to work...
 ARG MPICH_VERSION="3.3.2"
 ARG MIN_PYTHON="3.8.0"
-ARG MIN_NUMPY="1.18.0"
 ARG BLOSC2_VERSION
 
 ARG NETCDF_C_VERSION=4.8.1
@@ -291,12 +290,16 @@ FROM rocky-base as rocky-ngen-packaged-deps
 
 ARG ROCKY_NGEN_DEPS_REQUIRED
 
+# Set up pip constraints file for this and descendent stages
+COPY constraints.txt ${WORKDIR}/constraints.txt
+ENV PIP_CONSTRAINT=${WORKDIR}/constraints.txt
+
 # TODO: later, go back and change all pip3/python3 to just pip/python (but leave for now to limit scope)
-# Note that this includes numpy, which is needed for Python BMI support, regardless of BMI module 
+# Note that this includes numpy, which is needed for Python BMI support, regardless of BMI module
 USER root
 RUN dnf update -y && dnf install -y ${ROCKY_NGEN_DEPS_REQUIRED} && dnf clean -y all \
     && ln -s $(which python3) $(which python3 | sed 's/python3/python/') \
-    && pip install --no-cache-dir "pip>=23.0,<23.1" wheel packaging \
+    && pip install --no-cache-dir pip wheel packaging \
     && if [ "${NGEN_WITH_PYTHON}" == "ON" ]; then pip install --no-cache-dir numpy; fi
 USER ${USER}
 
@@ -332,7 +335,6 @@ COPY --chown=${USER} --from=download_boost /boost ${WORKDIR}/boost
 
 ARG MPICH_VERSION
 ARG MIN_PYTHON
-ARG MIN_NUMPY
 ARG BLOSC2_VERSION
 ARG ROCKY_NGEN_DEPS_REQUIRED
 
@@ -784,6 +786,22 @@ FROM rocky-ngen-deps as rocky_ngen_build_testing
 #FROM ${DOCKER_INTERNAL_REGISTRY}/ngen-deps:latest as rocky_ngen_build_testing
 
 COPY --chown=${USER} --from=rocky_init_repo ${WORKDIR}/ngen ${WORKDIR}/ngen
+
+ENV BOOST_ROOT=${WORKDIR}/boost
+
+USER root
+RUN if [ "${NGEN_WITH_PYTHON}" == "ON" ]; then \
+        chgrp -R ${USER} /usr/local/lib*/python3.* ; \
+        chmod -R g+sw /usr/local/lib*/python3.* ; \
+    fi
+USER ${USER}
+
+ENV VIRTUAL_ENV=/dmod/venv
+RUN if [ "${NGEN_WITH_PYTHON}" == "ON" ]; then python3 -m venv ${VIRTUAL_ENV} ; fi
+ENV PATH="$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin:$PATH"
+RUN if [ "${NGEN_WITH_PYTHON}" == "ON" ]; then pip install numpy ; fi
+
+RUN cd ${BOOST_ROOT} && tar -xf boost_tarball.blob --strip 1 && rm boost_tarball.blob
 ENV BOOST_ROOT=${WORKDIR}/boost
 #COPY --chown=${USER} --from=rocky_build_troute ${WORKDIR}/t-route/wheels /tmp/t-route-wheels
 #COPY --chown=${USER} --from=rocky_build_troute ${WORKDIR}/t-route/requirements.txt /tmp/t-route-requirements.txt
diff --git a/docker/main/ngen/constraints.txt b/docker/main/ngen/constraints.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6a53b3f2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/main/ngen/constraints.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+### Constrain pip
+pip>=23.0,<23.1
+
+### Constrain numpy to < 2.0.0 due to current ngen compatibility issue
+numpy~=1.0
\ No newline at end of file