MISSOULA — A portion of the former Roseburg Forest Products property south of Interstate 90 could be annexed into the City of Missoula as early as January, positioning it for the funding needed to lay the infrastructure for future development.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency's board of commissioners last week took the first step in the process, recommending that the City Council adopt a resolution to amend the North Reserve-Scott Street Urban Renewal District's (UED) boundaries.
While the URD currently surrounds the Roseburg site, the property was initially excluded from the district's original boundaries since the property sat in the county. The first phase of annexation could bring 93 of the property's 235 acres into the city.
MRA has already laid a portion of the groundwork to begin the redevelopment process.
“When Consumer Direct did their office building, we paid for the extension of utilities, of Raser Drive and Consumer Direct Way,” said MRA Director Ellen Buchanan. “It makes utilities and public streets available to the northwest portion of the (Roseburg) property so it can develop more quickly.”
Earlier this year, Story House Montana secured 47 acres within the Roseburg site. The company plans a large film and television production campus on land that would be included in Phase 1 of the district's boundary adjustment and annexation.
But the request has been a slow-moving affair. Missoula County approved a boundary adjustment for the site last October when Roseburg first sought annexation into the city. That request hinged on the outcome of the Legislature, which concluded favorably to the property's annexation and redevelopment.
Buchanan said realignment of the district's boundaries is consistent with several city plans, including the Land Use Plan and the district's own redevelopment goals. Roseburg is waiting for the city's next move to ensure it's compatible with Story House Montana's plans for the site.
“The property lacks the infrastructure needed for adding additional structures or other future redevelopment activities,” Buchanan stated. “While upgrading the infrastructure of such a large property will require investments of a magnitude outside what MRA alone can fund, tax increment financing will be nonetheless critical to this process.”
Buchanan added that the city took a similar approach when the Old Mill Site was redeveloped. That property also sat in the county until annexation and the creation of Urban Renewal District II, which is set to expire in the coming years.
