City of Missoula to begin abatement, removal of Sleepy Inn next week

(Missoula Current) With approval in place, crews will begin removing the shuttered Sleepy Inn property next week – a move that will enable the city to place the property on the market this spring.

The Missoula Redevelopment Agency on Wednesday said crews with ACM will begin removing asbestos on Monday. Heritage Timber will begin deconstructing the building in early March.

MRA said Three Rivers Landworks will then remove the remainder of the structure and clean the site by early April.

At the request of the city, MRA purchased the property in 2020 for $1.2 million. It served as a quarantine shelter for two years during the pandemic, housing an estimated 395 people.

But the property has sat vacant for months, and members of the City Council in January approved a $283,000 contract with 3 Rivers Landworks to remove asbestos and lead-based paint.

Once the work is completed, the firm will deconstruct the building and level the site for redevelopment. The city believes that a clear site will net a higher price when it goes on the market this spring.

The current vision for the property as detailed in the West Broadway Master Plan calls for a five-story building with ground-floor retail and roughly 35 residential units. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help fuel cost-reduced housing within the Broadway planning area, the city has said.

The city has contracted a realtor to market and sell the property for redevelopment, but city officials have said it's not yet known what the property will be worth once abatement and deconstruction is finished.