MISSOULA - New condos near the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula are almost ready for residents.
Before the move-in date, the Rowe Condominiums on Fourth Street offered the media a behind-the-scenes tour.
The Rowe has eight condos that will be more affordable than the 40 in the neighboring Reed Condominiums.
When the project began, it was quite controversial due to the fact that there were homes on the land. To make sure that the new development would not be entirely out of the affordable price range, the City of Missoula enforced a right-of-way vacation on the project developer.
This policy states that developers are allowed the land in exchange for part of the re-development to be deed or income-restricted. In the case of The Rowe, all the developer can ask for on these units is around $300,000.
However, the quality of the condominiums does not differ from The Reed next door. The Rowe is simply smaller than The Reed. In fact, the Rowe boasts great views, GE appliances, and a modern layout.
Rowe residents were chosen based on who meets the financial qualifications on the waitlist. This selection process was adjusted from the previous lottery process due to inflation.
There is no specific move-in date yet. However, construction crews are working diligently to finish soon. Project partners, including First Time Home Buyer Educator Julie Pavlish of Homeword, are very excited for the condominiums to open.
"It's hard out there. Pricing has gone up so quickly and outpaced even professional positions for most of our community members, Pavlish told MTN News. "And [The Rowe] affords [buyers] something in the heart of Missoula. A lot of folks are looking at heading outside of the, outside of city limits."
