MISSOULA — It could soon cost you to park in Missoula’s Hip Strip as the Missoula City Council voted to expand the Missoula Parking Commission’s jurisdiction.
The Missoula Parking Commission’s authority now runs along Hazel Street to Roosevelt Street, and from Higgins down to Third and Fourth streets. The expansion also reaches east of Higgins, mainly butting against the University District.
Watch to learn about what changes are coming to parking in downtown Missoula:
The plan has been in the works for months now, with several public hearings being held. Missoula Parking Commission director Jodi Pilgrim says that the expansion is needed to help manage parking in the area.
“We plan to start with managing those two-hour parking zones and continue to track the utilization and the impacts that that management has on where cars are parking,” said Pilgrim.
But for members of the public, and council member Bob Campbell, the expansion comes unwelcome under the pretext of harming businesses in the area.
“There is a perception, and I know it has hurt small businesses. I was one of those small storefront businesses [in] downtown Missoula for 10 years. We had the same problem 10 years ago. We had the same problem then; we have the same problem now, which is a small percentage of the population chooses to sit in front of businesses all day and feed the meters," one member of the public said. "It has been a continuing problem since."
Watch previous coverage about the Missoula Parking Commission's proposal:
“I think this does do harm to the business community, particularly downtown. You see that downtown, I think it detracts from business. I think people are just incentivized from conducting business downtown under that arrangement. I think this would exacerbate that problem,” Campbell said.
The Missoula Parking Commission will begin enforcement in the area on Jan. 1, 2026, for safety violations and existing signage. The commission will then monitor use of the area and determine whether or not to put paid parking in the area.
