Reserve-Scott Street plan envisions interchange, high density
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) A master plan guiding future growth across a north Missoula neighborhood is nearing its final stretch and a high-density, mixed-use neighborhood has emerged as a community preference, along with an improved transportation network.
The Reserve to Scott Street Master Plan launched in early January and has progressed through a number of open houses and public meetings. The document is on pace for adoption this winter.
“When we started this nine months ago, we knew this was not going to be easy with its complex nexus of existing land uses and property owners,” said Mark Sindell, a consultant with GGLO. “Given our work with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency team, city departments and very engaged stakeholders, we feel like we're in a very good state with our final draft.”
The plan covers 900 acres between Interstate 90 and the Montana Rail Link line, and east to west from Reserve to Scott streets. The area currently represents a wide mix of uses ranging from heavy industrial to residential.
But the recent closure of the Roseburg plant opened up new opportunities to reimagine the area. At this point in the process, the public has strongly backed urban mixed-use high development, high residential development, parks and trails.
“People are looking for a pretty high amount of density and mix of uses,” said Josiah Brown with GGLO. “They're using words like walkable, connected, affordable, community and peaceful. We're keeping that in mind as we're working with an area that's also industrial and has lots of space to grow.”
An illustrative plan for the area envisions Roseberg Boulevard, which would serve as a new east-west connector. That would tie into a roundabout feeding a potential I-90 interchange.
Greenways and trails are included in the plan, and truck traffic would be rerouted around residential areas.
“That's where we anticipate a lot of the industrial activity will stay, focused along the rail corridor,” said Brown. “In the northern section along the interstate, there's a lot more open, undeveloped land where there's room for more of the mixed-use housing and commercial things the community is looking for.”
The former Roseburg property spans 235 acres and in April, the city annexed 93 of them, including 47 acres owned by StoryHouse – a film and television production company.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency believes the current Roseburg property owners will ask the city to annex the remaining land.
“They've indicated an interest to us in annexing that into the city following this master plan,” said Annie Gorski, deputy director at MRA. “Part of this is working with them and the consulting team with recommendations for zoning when that annexation comes forward so it can all happen seamlessly.”
While the transportation improvements would improve flow and capacity – and potentially take pressure off other corridors – some of the proposals could be a heavy lift, including the new interchange and a proposed new bridge across the railroad tracks connected to West Broadway.
Both would require substantial outside funding and approval from a number of sources.
“The interchange is probably an easier lift than building a bridge over the railroad,” said Aron Wilson, the city's transportation manager. “There are still some procedural steps that have to be overcome just to get approval for an interchange. That's the early work we're continuing to do as other things are developing. Infrastructure and development never happen exactly at the time you want or need them to to be perfectly in alignment.”
The plan will go before the MRA board for approval later this year followed the City Council. If approved as an area plan, it would then be incorporated into the city's Land Use Plan.
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