Missoula County Commissioners reject journey plaza

MISSOULA — In a gathering on March 12, the Missoula County Commissioners voted to approve the Blackfoot Crossing Subdivision on a 107-acre property close to Bonner.

In doing so, they moved to rezone the property as neighborhood centered.

This motion removes the potential of constructing any business enterprise over 10,000 sq. toes, just like the developer-proposed journey plaza.

Many close by residents opposed the truck cease facet of the venture in favor of a smaller grocery retailer or enterprise.

Developer Gregory Morse famous that companies pay extra property taxes than homes do as a result of the tax fee is larger.

Now, Commissioners are saying “extreme creativity” is required to discover a financially-feasible method ahead for Morse to create the supposed housing.

Plans embody constructing a minimum of 355 however not more than 400 houses. A sewer system would even be constructed and plans are at the moment going via Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) evaluate.

Morse says DEQ should approve the sewer system earlier than submitting can happen for any phases of the subdivision.

Three variances pertaining to visitors had been permitted.

Those embody approving a no-access strip alongside West Riverside Drive aside from permitted alleys.

Additionally, permitting West Riverside Drive to stay it’s present paved width inside current proper of method and never require set up of curb and gutter between fifth via ninth streets.

The final variance requires 5 foot curbside sidewalks on the property’s portion of West Riverside. The different facet of the street is ready to stay with out bike lanes or bigger, boulevard, sidewalks.

By adopting the preliminary zoning decision, there’s probably months of time to discover choices for the world.

Commissioners are additionally choices to both lengthen or create a brand new focused financial growth district (TEDD) as the present one sunsets in 2029.

To lengthen the present TEDD, the county is required to problem a bond.

However, Commissioners mentioned there’s a chance of winding down the present TEDD and creating a brand new one that will final past the top of the last decade.