Missoula's Mayor Updates On Affordable Housing Initiatives

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis held a press conference in her office on Thursday to provide an update on her Task Force on City Lands Redevelopment.

Mayor Davis Provided an Update on City Lands Redevelopment

“This is a really nice opportunity for us to be able to give you all an update on work that we've been doing to activate our city lands that are meant for redevelopment,” began Mayor Davis. “We know that Missoulians have for some time been feeling the pressure of growth, and with housing prices that are increasing beyond wages, and wanting more opportunities for folks who are living and working, or retiring here to be able to afford to live here. The city has certainly responded to that through, for example, On Our Way Home, which is our housing policy that was created in 2019.”

Mayor Davis was Joined by two City Councilors and MEP CEO Grant Kier

Mayor Davis, who was joined by City Councilors Mike Nugent and Gwen Jones, as well as Grant Kier, CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership, said some of the proposed development projects haven’t yet materialized, but that they will be accomplished.

“As I've been in this role now for about 18 months, and working alongside colleagues and partners and others, seeing where we have wanted to see projects happen but, as yet, are not happening,” she said. “A couple of examples might be the old library block. We've gone through a process where we've done an open process with developers and found really skilled, excellent, and committed developers that are having a hard time making a project feasible in our community.”

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Mayor Davis detailed some of the collaborative efforts between the city and other entities throughout the community.

Davis said Several Entities are Collaborating on the Development Plans

“When I asked folks from finance and banking and for-profit and nonprofit development, construction, and real estate, we all sat around a table, and it was great,” she said. “We met five times in 10 weeks; so, every two weeks, we just stayed on cadence, and we took a look at the 45 acres that Missoula has in ownership, which, again, our city lands with the purpose of redevelopment; these are in surplus of our municipal needs.”

Davis provided one example of the many projects that are in various stages of development, namely Southgate Crossing.

The Mayor Singled out Southgate Crossing as one of her Priorities

“I would anticipate that we'll have a public announcement of Southgate Crossing shortly, and it's definitely something that MEP (Missoula Economic Partnership) and our crew here have been charged with. As I said from the beginning, we're not buying this property to sit on it and so ultimately, we've gone through a process where the preferred developer has been selected, and we're working through final details in terms of being able to go public with a conversation, and that should happen soon, because that's the intent.”

Mayor Davis also referenced the former Sleepy Inn site, as well as the ongoing plans to move City Hall and the Missoula Police Department to the old federal courthouse, now the John Engen Government Building in downtown Missoula.

Mayor Davis also thanked her fellow task force members who have volunteered their time and talents to serve the Missoula community.