MISSOULA — A local developer's appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of a demolition permit was postponed on Monday night by the City of Missoula.
Mayor Andrea Davis attributed the postponement of the anticipated hearing to an “administrative error” regarding public notice.
The City Council initially set the hearing for Monday night back on June 18.
The issue has been simmering since July 2023 when FAE Missoula Hospital sought a permit to develop its private property at Fort Missoula.
The revenue generated from that project was slated to fund the estimated $10 million cost of restoring the historic Old Post Hospital, which has fallen into decay over the last few decades under previous owners.
But the Historic Preservation Commission denied the permit, leaving FAE with no means to develop its property or generate the revenue needed to restore the hospital, the group claims.
As a result, FAE appealed the commission's decision to the City Council, claiming commission members had “undisclosed conflicts of interest, or possible ex parte contact, or conduct evidencing a predisposition toward denying the application.”
In that appeal, the City Council sided with the commission, saying the developers failed to present any proof of their allegations.
Earlier this year, FAE Missoula Hospital approached the Historic Preservation Commission again, this time seeking a demolition permit for the hospital.
However, the commission denied that application as well.
As a result, FAE has appealed the decision to the city, again claiming the commission acted in bias and erred in its reasoning to deny the permit.
The Missoula City Council's hearing was intended to determine if the commission indeed acted in bad faith or followed protocol.
