City Council approves 182-lot East Missoula subdivision

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) A subdivision planned for East Missoula and a request for annexation into the city won approval from the Missoula City Council on Monday night, setting the stage for Phase 1 to break ground next year.

The Aspire subdivision, planned by DeNova Homes, dredged up many of the same concerns that have played out in other areas of Missoula, including traffic, density and fear of change.

But the majority of council members cited the city’s growth policy, which identifies East Missoula for residential development. At some point in time, East Missoula in general will likely be annexed into the city.

Council member Gwen Jones said the growth policy played a key role in the project’s approval.

“It calls for infill and that focus inward approach. East Missoula is two to three minutes away. It’s close to downtown and close to the university. It’s very accessible compared to the development that’s happening way out past Mullan. East Missoula is an area the city should be looking at for more density.”

The project, planned on 35 acres, includes 182 lots with around 250 housing units. It will tie into city services and also include two new parks of more than 4 acres. The entire project was scaled down from as many as 400 housing units after area residents voiced concern.

City planner Dave Degrandpre said the project complies with the city’s criteria for annexation.

“The city’s growth policy specifically called out this whole area to be developed for residential development at a density of three to 11 units per acre,” he said. “We all know we need a lot of housing units to make housing more affordable. The thrust of it has been to increase the supply of housing.”

Along with approval, the developers also sought a range of variances ranging from a narrower right-of-way along some interior streets and a longer block length. All variances were approved, though opponents suggested the number of requests pointed to poorly planned project.

“Considering all these factors collectively, I feel the risks and unanswered questions outweigh the costs,” said council member Eric Melson. “I think the residents understand there will be a development here. This is a logical place for development, but I think we can do better than what’s been presented.”

“I do have some concerns with the eight variances,” he said. “Given the number of variances, which I cannot in good conscious support, I will also not be in support of the subdivision’s preliminary plat.”

The project is planned in six phases with the final plat for Phase 1 expected next December. The final plat for Phase 6 is expected in 2035.

While residents of East Missoula largely opposed the project, citing traffic concerns and a change in neighborhood character, others argued that the community’s residents have benefited greatly from investments made by residents outside of East Missoula.

Among them, the city invested in bringing city sewer to East Missoula. While residents in the community now pay into a special improvement district to fund their share of the system, the city agreed to hold off on annexing East Missoula until a future date, which is rapidly approaching.

Earlier this year, Missoula County also landed a $24 million federal grant to fund major improvements to the Highway 200 corridor through East Missoula. The project includes streetscape improvements like bike lanes, sidewalks, boulevards and lighting. They also include a roundabout at the I-90 interchange and work on the railroad bridge to create more room underneath for both pedestrians and passing vehicles.

Those behind the Aspire subdivision have also agreed to make improvements well beyond their property, including improvements to Summers Street from Highway 200 out to the development. The more the city demands of new subdivisions, the higher the resulting housing will cost, noted council member Mike Nugent.

“All that adds costs. We can’t sit and say it’s not affordable enough but add millions of dollars in off-sight improvements they need to do,” Nugent said. “The thing that is really consistent is that a lot of the (public) comments are the same no matter what neighborhood we’re talking about a development in.”