Mayor sends daycare requirement for development back to committee
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) At the request of the mayor, the Missoula City Council on Monday agreed to send a measure removing a requirement for childcare in a northside development back to committee for further review.
Mayor Andrea Davis said a number of council members had approached her after the measure passed out of committee last week, expressing some concerns.
“We had a good conversation on how to move forward,” said Davis. “I think we should give this only 30 days in committee and think about what the next recommendation is in terms of the alternatives that the developers are taking a look at.”
On a nearly unanimous vote, council members agreed to release Ravara LLC from an agreement singed in 2021 requiring some form of daycare in a large mixed-use development off Scott Street.
At the time of that agreement, city officials said the need for daycare was high and it was among the amenities sought by the neighborhood. But over the last four years, the need for daycare has waned as other childcare models have grown, including after-school programming provided by Missoula County Public Schools.
Davis however said the city should continue working with Ravara to find alternatives related to childcare.
“This project has been in motion since prior to the pandemic,” Davis said. “There's a long history with this project, the progress it has made and the changes resulting from a challenging market.”
City officials and members of the development team last week said that Ravara had been working with a local provider in planning a facility for the northside development.
When that planning effort began, the provider had a wait list for admission to its facility. Now, it has a number of openings and is no longer interested in building a new daycare space.
But other daycare providers supported Davis' decisions to send the project back to committee for further exploration.
“I'm glad you'll be taking more time to be thoughtful about this,” said Sally Hinkle, who coordinates Missoula Childcare Advantage. “The city has long been invested in thinking about childcare.”
The daycare was planned as part of a larger nine-acre development off Scott Street. The city purchased the property in 2020 and has partnered with Ravara to develop the site. The project includes 89 condominiums, half of which are earmarked as income-qualified workforce housing.
The project also includes around 200 additional market-rate housing units and 30,000 square feet of commercial space. The day care was included by the city as part of the development agreement signed with Ravara.
“I hope we can still provide some public benefit here and not let our leverage go when we have control over things like that,” said council member Daniel Carlino.