Miller Creek Residents Face Thousands for Road Project

Residents in Missoula’s fast-growing Miller Creek neighborhood could soon face special assessments running as high as $4,000 to fix a road left unfinished for decades.

And that's causing concern among residents, as county tax records show property taxes have already doubled in recent years, according to Missoula County statistics.

Lower Miller Creek Road has turned into a busy arterial serving hundreds of homes and Jeannette Rankin Elementary, but sidewalks and roadway improvements remain patchy.

A problem for years, without a solution

City Transportation Engineer Ryan Guelff told residents at an open house this week the plan is to fix problems that have existed for years, starting with safety.

"This segment that we're talking about today has some infrastructure that's discontinuous, its body and incomplete," Guelff explained. "And this is kind of the final improvement to Lower Miller Creek Road within the city, that would complete all those facilities."

READ MORE: Will Missoula residents support road fix?

How funding would be raised

The City of Missoula has drafted an $8,000,000 plan to finish the corridor. Future development fees will cover seventy percent, but the rest would fall on local property owners through a Special Improvement District. The assessment boundaries stretch wide across the neighborhood, covering everything from homes to the local school, the new LDS temple, and the fire station.

Guelff believes the improvements are needed, even if there was no additional growth in the future.

""If development stopped today, I don't think the need for this project would be any less than what folks consider it today," Guelff observed.

We have a deficient infrastructure; we want to improve it, we want to provide facilities for everyone to get around the neighborhood." -Missoula Transportation Engineer Ryan Guelff

Dennis Bragg photo

Up to Council, but protests might be limited

City officials say nearly two-thirds of affected parcels previously waived their right to legally protest under older planning documents. The final call rests with the Missoula City Council, which will take up the plan this winter.

You can learn more about the project on the Engage Missoula website.