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01/09/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Annexation first step in long-term development plans for former wood products facility
The city of Missoula is on track to annex more than 90 acres of Roseburg Forest Products’ property, including what is now a film studio, in an effort to prepare the site for future development.
“This is just an opportunity like no other for the city for development, for economic development, for housing,” said Council Member Amber Sherrill, during a council meeting Wednesday. “I just feel thankful that you kept that long-term vision that the company did and that you have been patient.”
The Oregon-based company closed its Missoula particleboard plant in May 2024, and Story House, Inc. purchased 47 acres of the property last year. Roseburg intentionally kept most of the property intact to help facilitate its development, said Roseburg representative Ellen Porter. The company began working with the city to annex the property following the plant closure but put the process on hold in January 2025 because of proposed legislation that could have affected tax increment financing.
In September, WGM Group, the engineering and design firm for the project, requested that the city reinitiate the annexation process. Roseburg and Mayor Andrea Davis signed a letter of intent to annex with some changes from the original plan, including a two-phase approach.
Jeff Smith, CEO of WGM, told the council that Roseburg wants to see the property turned into a vibrant neighborhood, but infrastructure gaps and funding pose barriers. Annexation into the city and the North Reserve Scott Street urban renewal district will make certain infrastructure projects eligible for tax increment financing.
Infrastructure, including roads and utilities, is limited on most of the property, said Dave DeGrandpre, the city’s planning supervisor. Existing buildings on the property are served by wells and wastewater treatment systems, and city water and sewer lines could be extended to serve future development on the property, he said.
City staff recommended several conditions of approval that apply to the annexation of the total 235 acres, DeGrandpre said. Those include requiring easements for roads, trails, utilities and a gas pipeline and that Roseburg completes a regional infrastructure plan.
The first phase of annexation would include about 93 acres on the west side of the property, including the Story House site. The city council will hold a final vote on this annexation Monday. Roseburg plans to move forward with annexing the remaining 142 acres of property after the city completes the North Reserve Scott Street master plan update, Smith said.
The plan will address infrastructure challenges and needs, provide a vision for the area and a strategy to fund projects, Smith said. The planning process is slated to start next month and is expected to wrap up in October, said Annie Gorski, deputy director of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency.
Separately, the council will consider expanding the boundary of the North Reserve Scott Street urban renewal district to include the Roseburg and Story House properties in late January.
Several city council members expressed excitement about the annexation and potential development of the property. Council Member Jennifer Savage said she hopes the planning process considers the impacts of development on the nearby Northside and Westside neighborhoods. Council Member Gwen Jones said that although any housing on the site is years away, she hopes the Hellgate Elementary School District and Missoula County Public Schools will be made aware of those plans.
“It’s not often that something of this magnitude comes through with the incredible focus on community that you all have put into how to make this work for Missoula,” Jones said.
By the Numbers
The average temperature in Missoula in December 2025, which was the warmest December on record, according to the National Weather Service’s Missoula office. That average was 9.6 degrees higher than the normal.
A moisture plume from the subtropics dominated the region, bringing warmer and wetter conditions, according to a NWS Facebook post. Last month, Missoula received more than 3 inches of precipitation, 284% of the norm, according to the NWS. Most of that was rain, although the area recorded 10.6 inches of snow in December.
Joe Messina, a meteorologist at the Missoula office, told MTFP that the prevalence of rain rather than snow is “a little bit of a problem” because it is not being used as irrigation and is not being stored in snowpack.
Most basins in western and central Montana had below-average snowpack levels as of the end of November, according to the most recent Natural Resources Conservation Service report. The Upper and Lower Clark Fork basins recorded above 50% of their normal snow-water equivalent, while the Bitterroot basin had about 30% of its normal. The Flathead basin had near-normal snowpack, and the Bear Paw basin in north central Montana had above-normal snowpack.
Messina said that following this week’s storm system, Missoula-area temperatures are expected to increase this weekend, with no precipitation anticipated. In the next two weeks, a high-pressure system will bring better chances of warmer and drier weather, he said. In the next three to four weeks, the area is more likely to see normal temperatures and precipitation, Messina said.
“When we get into [this] season’s prediction to be wetter and colder in December, January and February, the wetter part has come true,” he said. “The colder part has definitely not come true. Going into next week, it’s going to be a not really La Niña-esque pattern of warm and also dry [conditions]. As we get past that, there’s better chances for wetter conditions.”
Public Notice
The city of Missoula is alerting commuters that street work next week may impact traffic downtown. City crews will conduct geotechnical investigations to inform future design and construction for the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility (SAM) project.
Work will take place Monday through Friday at Higgins Avenue from Brooks to Broadway, the intersections of Front Street/Main Street/Orange Street and Front Street/Madison Street and the under-bridge play area adjacent to the Beartracks Bridge. Full street closures are not expected, but some lanes will be closed. The city asks drivers to be extra cautious as crews will be working in and around traffic.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula County commissioners Tuesday approved a $10,000 grant for the Missoula Interfaith Collaborative to fund an emergency weather shelter. The nonprofit is collaborating with the city and several congregations to establish overflow spaces in churches in case the Poverello Center reaches capacity and the temperature threshold is met. The overflow space will be available when it “feels like” 10 degrees or below. A network of churches is part of a rotating schedule to be on call as the overflow space, said Claire Biddick, a county grants administrator. The Poverello, which has space for 150 people, will use a lottery to determine who can stay at the shelter when full, and MIC will drive others to the church used for overflow, Biddick said. The grant money will be used to hire two on-call staff members to handle nightly operations when needed, she said. This is the first winter since 2020 that the 165-bed Johnson Street homeless shelter is not open. Commissioner Juanita Vero said the county appreciates MIC stepping in to fill the need. Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said the overflow plan is a cost-effective way to provide emergency services without a dedicated facility.
The Missoula City Council Wednesday approved using additional federal grant funding for two affordable housing projects. The amendment to the city’s 2025 HOME Investment Partnerships Program plan allocates an additional $50,000 for Homeword to rehabilitate the Lenox Flats building near the Missoula County courthouse and $350,000 for Front Step Community Land Trust to purchase a six-unit building on East Spruce Street. The city has existing HOME funding to pay for the new requests, said Lisa Bower, a city grants administrator. The amendment would bring the total grant for the 10-unit Lenox Flats apartments to $250,000. The additional money would be used to fix the elevator, which requires more extensive repairs than expected, Bower said. Front Step has an agreement to purchase the Spruce Street property, which also includes a commercial space, but had a funding gap, Bower said. The HOME funding will help ensure the long-term affordability of the units, she said. Members of the public can comment online on the amendment through Jan. 29 before the city submits the changes to HUD.
The Missoula City Council Monday delayed a vote on a proposed radio tower in the South Hills neighborhood, citing a lack of safety information. The Lighthouse Baptist Church requested a permit to construct the tower on its property at 5425 Gharrett St. The 80-foot tower would provide an FM radio station airing “educational, religious and public service programming,” according to the staff report. Some neighbors voiced concerns about the tower’s height and potential to attract lightning. Several others commented in favor of the project. Pastor Tom Lemmons said an architect, an engineer and a “tower expert” reviewed the project and weighed in on where to locate it on the church property. Zoe Walters, a city associate planner, said all applicable agencies, including the fire department, reviewed the permit request and had no concerns. Council Member Bob Campbell said while he is a “staunch supporter” of free speech and religious freedom, he has “practical concerns” about the possibility of increased lightning and fire danger from the tower. The council approved Campbell’s proposal to delay the project until it receives more information and will likely revisit it in late January or February.
On Thursday, the Missoula County commissioners set a new daily rate of credit for incarceration that’s 47% higher than last year’s rate. State law allows those jailed on a bailable offense to receive credit for time served that may go toward a fine upon conviction. Under state law, the daily rate for credit must be equal to the jail’s actual cost for holding an inmate. The $203 rate is a 47% increase from last year’s $138 daily rate. The 2024 rate was $125. The rate is based on the jail’s 2025 costs, which jumped because of wage increases and rising medical costs, said Chris Lounsbury, the county’s chief administrative officer. The rate is more than twice the $85.30 rate counties are reimbursed for holding state inmates. Missoula County jail held 27 state inmates as of Thursday afternoon, according to the state’s dashboard. The U.S. Marshals Service pays the county $138 per day for inmates held at the jail, according to the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. Under a new state law, the county is reimbursed $126.68 daily for inmates awaiting a bed at the Montana State Hospital.
Residents looking to recycle their Christmas trees can drop them off for free through Jan. 15 at Garden City Compost or designated areas of McCormick Park, Playfair Park or Ft. Missoula Regional Park. The city asks that all decorations and stands be removed before drop-off and that residents not leave yard waste or trash at the drop sites.
Photo Op
Missoula City Council President Amber Sherrill swore in Mayor Andrea Davis on Monday, Jan. 5, in the City Council Chambers. Davis was elected to her first full four-year term as mayor in November after finishing the term of longtime mayor John Engen, who died in 2022.
Davis then swore in six members of the city council elected in November — Betsy Craske, Justin Ponton, Jennifer Savage, Mike Nugent, Stacie Anderson and Kristen Jordan. Sean Patrick McCoy joined the council last month to fill former council member Sandra Vasecka’s position, which she was appointed to after a tie in 2023.