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02/27/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Policy’s top priority is sustainable revenue for Affordable Housing Trust Fund
The city plans to adequately fund its Affordable Housing Trust fund and support tenant protections, among other recommendations included in its updated housing policy.
The Missoula City Council Wednesday voted 10-1 to approve the plan, which is an update to the city’s housing strategy, “A Place to Call Home,” first adopted in 2019. The plan aimed to create a cohesive strategy for the city to address housing barriers and provide incentives to produce homes all Missoulians can afford, Parker Webb, a city housing policy specialist, told the council.
The city has made progress on many strategies outlined in the 2019 plan, including creating the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, implementing voluntary incentives for affordable housing, annually assessing the city’s housing landscape and being involved in several projects to build or preserve affordable homes, Webb said.
But in the last six years, finding housing in Missoula has gotten more challenging with wages not keeping up with rising rents and home prices, Webb said.
The new recommendations took into account the city’s budget constraints, lean into what the city is well-positioned to do and are simpler than the lengthy list of strategies in the original plan, Webb said.
“There is no silver bullet to addressing the housing crisis,” Webb said. “We’re trying to balance simplification with a myriad of strategies to effectively adapt and respond to changing conditions. The strategies presented in this update are not exhaustive, but … we think the following strategies are the best path forward to make sure the next five years have the most significant strides toward providing safe, diverse and affordable homes for all Missoulians.”
The plan’s top recommendation is to identify an ongoing and sustainable funding source for the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The fund provides grants for eligible housing projects and is currently funded by an annual allocation from the city council and revenue from city land sales.
“It is very well set up for significant impact once it is significantly and sufficiently funded,” Webb said. “However, at this point it is not sufficiently funded.”
While the trust fund will get a $4 million boost from the upcoming sale of the Riverfront Triangle property, that revenue will not come in as a lump sum, Webb said. It’s difficult to pin down how much revenue would make the fund “sustainable,” but it needs ongoing, predictable funding to address the city’s housing challenges, he said. The plan recommends exploring other funding sources, including a voluntary fee program on certain business transactions, similar to a 1% assessment in Whitefish, or a ballot initiative, Webb said.
Another high-priority recommendation is supporting anti-displacement initiatives and tenant protections. The city has a role to play in supporting renters, who make up more than half of Missoula’s population, Webb said. This will likely include providing education for landlords and renters and bringing relevant organizations together, he said. While a tenant-right-to-counsel program is something the city could potentially pursue, the city does not have enough money for that program, Webb said.
The plan also recommends advancing the mayor’s City Lands Redevelopment initiative to explore how the sale or redevelopment of city properties can support affordable housing projects. It also suggests examining opportunities for infill development on city-owned vacant land.
Council Member Bob Campbell said he thinks the vast majority of Missoulians can get behind a lot of the plan, but he raised concerns that some of the recommendations would burden taxpayers. Campbell said he opposed a mandatory tax for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and that the city should not get more involved in the real estate and development business. Campbell cast the sole “no” vote against adopting the plan.
Council Member Kristen Jordan said the recommendations will help provide a social safety net that ultimately saves public dollars.
“Research shows it costs us more as taxpayers to not look after people than it costs to look after them,” she said.
By the Numbers
The median home price for all housing types in the Missoula area in 2025, according to the Five Valleys Housing Report published by the Missoula Organization of Realtors this week. That’s a decrease of 2.2% from the $562,400 median sales price in 2024. Last year was the first time the median sales price decreased since 2010, according to the report.
The number of home sales increased for the second year in a row, and housing supply has improved overall but varies by neighborhood and price, according to the report.
The Sxʷtpqyen/Mullan neighborhood saw the highest number of sales, an increase over the previous year, along with a decrease in median price, according to the report. The neighborhood has an oversupply of housing, as an area with a large amount of new construction, said Brint Wahlberg with Windermere Real Estate during a report presentation Wednesday.
Some other neighborhoods where housing prices are at or below the median, including Lewis and Clark and Lolo, had an undersupply as of the end of 2025, Wahlberg said.
“We have an increase of buyer activity around more affordable, attainable price points relative to Missoula’s market,” he said. “We’re seeing in some of the neighborhoods, supply is tight. People are trying to get in there as a more competitive area.”
Read more about the report here.
Public Notice
The Missoula County commissioners next week will hold a public hearing and consider a developer’s request to rezone the Blackfoot Crossing property in Bonner and for a new subdivision.
The property’s owner, Gregory Morse, plans to convert the 107-acre site to a mix of commercial, residential, industrial and recreational/open space uses, according to the county. Last year, the commissioners approved changes to the subdivision proposal, formerly known as the West Bonner Log Yard, requested by Morse after he bought the property in 2024.
Most of the site is currently zoned for industrial use. The commissioners Thursday will consider the developer’s proposal to change the growth policy and zoning to:
- Commercial Center on the west side of the property to allow for a planned travel plaza. The zoning would also allow other retail, service, food and beverage, motel and office uses.
- Neighborhood Center for about 42 acres in the middle of the property, which would allow housing, retail and office uses at a minimum density of eight units per acre.
- Resource and Open Lands for the strip of land along the Blackfoot River. The developer plans to include trail easements to connect to Milltown State Park, nearby neighborhoods and public lands.
The eastern corner of the property would remain designated as Agricultural Working Lands, and some areas would remain zoned for industrial use. Morse is also proposing a new subdivision on 78 acres not including the western portion of the property, which would be developed first under the previously approved subdivision. The developer plans to create a new public water and sewer system to serve the new development and may also expand it to serve the surrounding area.
Two parcels within the Blackfoot Crossing property are not owned by Morse and are not part of the planned development. That includes the former Harris Manufacturing building on the northwest side of the property and a NorthWestern Energy parcel on the southeast side.
Some area residents oppose the proposed travel plaza, with concerns about traffic, lighting, noise, pollution, safety and water use. A handful of comments support other parts of the development, while some residents said they would rather see something like a grocery store or another business developed instead of another truck stop. Town Pump operates a truck stop on the other side of Highway 200, across from the Blackfoot Crossing site.
The meeting begins at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse. The public can also join the meeting online.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula City Council Monday approved an amendment to the plan for the Icon Apartment Homes in the Dougherty Ranch subdivision in the Sxʷtpqyen neighborhood, extending deadlines for initial work by three years. The council initially approved the 641-unit subdivision, located south of West Broadway and west of Flynn Lane, in August 2023. The landowner requested more time to complete the infrastructure because the original developer, Bozeman-based Braxton Development LLC, pulled out of the project. The landowner requested new deadlines of January 2029 and January 2035 for the two phases.
On Wednesday, the Missoula City Council awarded a $989,715 bid to Western Excavating to replace water mains in the Lewis and Clark neighborhood. The pipes on Dearborn Avenue, Livingston Avenue and Lester Street were installed in 1937 and 1950 and are a high-priority replacement because of their type and age, Andy Schultz, a city utilities engineer, told the council. The water main in Livingston Avenue has a history of leaks and breaks, he said. The project will replace 2,000 feet of pipe and reconnect 54 existing water services, Schultz said. Construction is estimated to begin in April and will last about four months. The project will be paid for by a state revolving fund loan, Schultz said.
The University of Montana Griz Esports team is fundraising for new playground equipment at Hawthorne Elementary School, with a 24-hour esports marathon planned for this weekend. The fundraiser, which kicked off at the beginning of the month, aims to raise the remaining $50,000 of the $150,000 the Hawthorne PTA needs to install a modern and inclusive playground. Donors are entered to win a variety of prizes based on the donation amount. The marathon from Feb. 28 to March 1 will be livestreamed at twitch.tv/umt_esports. More information about the fundraiser and a donation link are available online.
Missoula Public Health is holding a free screening of “Someone You Love: The HPV Epidemic” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at the Roxy Theater. The film follows five women who share their stories about surviving Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), one of the most widespread, misunderstood and dangerous viruses. A panel discussion will follow the film. The event is free, but space is limited. Those interested are asked to reserve their seats at theroxytheater.org. HPV causes nearly all cervical cancers and many cancers of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, rectum and oropharynx, according to the health department. The HPV vaccine is available at the Missoula Public Health Immunization Clinic at 301 W. Alder St. More information is available on the health department’s website.
Providence St. Patrick Hospital’s annual Heart Expo promoting heart health awareness takes place Saturday at the Broadway Building Conference Center at 500 W. Broadway. The event will include lectures from cardiac professionals from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and low-cost health screenings from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. Screenings include lipid panel, glucose, A1C test, thyroid and prostate tests. The tests each cost $10 to $20, and payment is accepted in cash or check only.
Might be Fun
The Downtown Missoula Partnership is holding its 15th annual Winter BrewFest Saturday at Caras Park. The tap list includes more than 40 Montana-made craft beers, ciders and seltzers, along with a wine and mimosa bar and non-alcoholic options. The festival, which runs from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., will also feature local food trucks, burn barrels, axe throwing and music by DJ TRX.
The event is free, with tasting starting at $20 for three drink tokens and an official 7-ounce taster glass. Additional tokens cost $2 each. A limited-edition 12-ounce stein mug with three tokens is $30. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early for the widest drink selection, drink responsibly and plan for designated drivers.