As the city considers purchasing the property, the MEP was ready to look for partners

Martin Kidston

(Missoula Current) A number of City-owned Missoula properties could be redeveloped through a public-private partnership to help achieve residential and commercial development goals.

Last year, the city entered into an agreement with the Missoula Economic Partnership to solicit potential developers who would be able and interested in redeveloping the old downtown library block. While this process continues, the MEP plans to take a similar approach to other properties owned by the city.

“We continue to see strong interest from developers, both those who have experience working here and others interested in the market,” said Grant Kier, MEP’s boss. “It was really about residential, residential, residential and commercial.”

Last August, the city commissioned Edlen & Co/deChase Miksis to begin developing a vision for the redevelopment of the old downtown library block.

Julie Lacey, MEP’s director of economic development, said the company has extended its due diligence period and is working with the city to develop a final vision for the property. They also work with Members of the European Parliament when considering potential commercial tenants.

“They really need to think through some of the logistics of the project,” Lacey said. “They have done a lot of public engagement projects. Now we just need to come up with a pro-forma model and what it looks like. We hope to see a preliminary design or rendering there in the next few months.”

Both the city and county, along with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, have signed a contract with an MEP who will serve as the city’s economic arm. As the city owns a number of other properties, the MEP plans to help with future redevelopment plans.

The city is currently conducting due diligence on a vacant 10-acre parcel of land located near Southgate Shopping Center. The property has been sought for residential development over the last twenty years, and a number of city plans have indicated that it is underutilized and has great potential for redevelopment.

Despite this potential, the facility has no city services and remains empty.

“Given the completion of the Midtown master plan and other existing plans, we are beginning to conduct a preliminary inquiry of who might be interested in redeveloping the site and develop a timeline and process with the city,” Lacey said. “We have engaged with the landowners to talk about what the development of the land looks like, and we continue to see an opportunity for us to facilitate those conversations.”

Lacey said there may also be redevelopment plans in the Roseburg area. The company announced plans to close earlier this year and an MEP has been working through a company representative to explore future options.

“We are continuing to evaluate the potential for redevelopment or reuse of the site and how it fits with the needs of the market, both in terms of commercial development of the site and long-term residential goals,” Lacey said.

With plans to combine the city and county in the historic federal building, many more properties could be built in the downtown district in the coming years. Both governments have shown interest in selling several properties, including the district administration building and potentially the town hall.

While nothing is set in stone yet, the MEP said it could take a similar approach to recruiting skilled developers as it did with the library property.

“If facilities open downtown, there may be opportunities there,” Kier said. “There is an appetite for both residential and commercial development, so we have confidence that when the time comes to divest county properties for similar purposes, the appetite will be there.”