Missoula moves forward with major housing redevelopment plan

MISSOULA, Mont. — The city of Missoula is moving forward with a major redevelopment plan on city-owned land aimed at expanding housing options.

NonStop Local's Kendall Hudson was at the site near the MRL Triangle, where city leaders say the area is set to be transformed into a mix of housing options for the community.

The announcement drew a full room, with city leaders and community partners laying out plans to redevelop the site into hundreds of new homes including a large portion of deed-restricted affordable housing.

"We need to be able to meet a number of different city goals, and that might look like attainable or deed restricted, affordable housing, market rate housing for workforce, connections like street city streets and bike trails, parks, infrastructure, those kinds of things," Mayor Andrea Davis said.

Rather than putting everything into one development, the city says it's taking a broader approach, spreading different housing types and community features across multiple projects.

City leaders say the goal is to serve people at different income levels, from those on fixed incomes to working professionals.

"If we don't create more home opportunities and more unique and diverse home types, the people that are living and working here today will continue to get pushed out," Davis said. "And so, not only are we making room for people that live and work here today for people who say, 'I want my grandkids to have an opportunity here.' But for people that choose to make Missoula their home, we want a robust workforce. We want to see a robust community. And that includes both existing residents and new folks to come."

City leaders also say this project is still in the early stages, but it's part of a larger effort to make housing more accessible across Missoula.