A privately funded workforce housing project plans to break ground in the Old Sawmill District this fall, offering 19 loft studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Opening several authorized camp sites for the homeless in city parks and vacant lots in each of Missoula's six voting wards would provide some homeless residents a “place to exist,” one City Council member argued on Wednesday.
A new tool in state law that defines workforce housing as infrastructure has city leaders eager to implement a pilot program that will direct tax increment toward “bricks and mortar” projects while helping grow the city's Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
The renovation of Knowles Hall cost $18 million, and was paid for through the issuance of debt bonds. No taxpayer dollars or student tuition dollars were used for the renovation.
After a second week of debate and accusations of a poorly planned process, the Missoula City Council on Wednesday voted 6-3 to approve the operational contract to run the Johnson Street shelter for a full year.
A subdivision planned on 16 acres off Mary Jane Boulevard was approved by the Missoula City Council on Monday night, and it marks the first time a development has moved through the state's new expedited review process.
The agreement passes funding from the Community Development Block Grant program to the shelter to aid in the deconstruction of the Clark Fork Inn and building a new facility.
Missoula Loft Homes, planned by Miramonte Homes LLC, will include 162 dwelling units in a variety of housing types, including single-family homes and row houses. The project also includes three acres of parkland and is seeking an expedited review.
A push to convert what once served as a winter shelter into a year-round facility drew backlash from several members of City Council on Wednesday, and a pledge from the city to seek solutions for a long-term shelter, where to place it and how to fund it.
Andrew Czorny writes, "It's not a tax bill from Missoula County. It’s an appraisal notice issued by the Montana Department of Revenue showing the current assessed value of your property."