MISSOULA, Mont. — The City of Missoula has been working for years to achieve its goal of building more affordable housing.
The city touts one example of its progress: the recently approved Midtown Commons development.
But residents in the area have not welcomed the development.
Now, a group has filed a legal complaint against the City over the development's approval.
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“We have never been anti-development. Our concerns are for the environment, for the neighbors who love and cherish space, and I would say come meet with our group. You know, come, come have a conversation with us. Come walk the land with us,” said Mary Guliani, a resident who lives in the Franklin to the Fort neighborhood.
Guliani, alongside several other residents, has filed a legal complaint against the City of Missoula about the development for several reasons.
The main complaint centers on the right to meaningful public participation, which they argue they did not receive, particularly how the developer, Miramonte Companies LLC, was selected by the City in hand with the Missoula Economic Partnership.
“The way that the developer was chosen was through a contract that the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, the MRA, has with the economic partnership. And because the Missoula Economic Partnership is a private entity, they conducted the search for developers, and they chose Miramonte. And because it was a private entity, unfortunately, the public and also the city council was not allowed to see who were the other interested parties. What did those development proposals look like? So that was a piece of information where we felt like we as the public didn't actually have a right to fully participate there,” Guliani said.
The complaint also outlines several other issues, including how a piece of property adjacent to the property was sold, how the mayor’s task force was involved in the purchase process, and the right to a clean and healthy environment.
The complaint is currently on the desk of Missoula District Court Judge Shane Vannatta, but a timeline for when a ruling may come down is still in the air.
City officials said they do not comment on ongoing litigation, but they have filed a motion to dismiss the complaint.
