As new housing makes its way to the Wye — and with thousands of new units expected over the coming decade — Missoula County is testing the water for a possible EPA grant to address the area's lack of infrastructure.
Commissioners last week approved a proposal from the planning department to send a letter of interest to the EPA to determine if the county and the proposed infrastructure work are eligible for credit assistance under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.
An answer is expected this spring.
“If they decide we're eligible, they would invite us to apply. It's like a scoping letter,” said Andrew Hagemeier, director of county planning. “We'd look at the requirements of the application, how it would affect staff capacity, what the costs are to apply, and the risks to the county of a loan, before we decided to apply.”
Last January, the county approved a sweeping infrastructure plan for the Wye, which is expected to become the next hub of growth within the Missoula metropolitan area.
Roughly two years in the making, the Wye Infrastructure Plan serves as a roadmap to transform the area into a new urban center. To achieve that, the plan explores current infrastructure needs and ways to fund them.
Financial credit from the EPA could serve as one potential funding source.
“The project is to construct a public wastewater treatment facility that will serve primarily residential, but also commercial uses in an area that is designated for growth in the Missoula County Growth Policy, but lacks wastewater treatment and public water supply, thus hindering development,” the county wrote in its scoping letter.
With more than 1,200 acres of planned residential development and 1,100 acres of industrial land, the county believes the Wye can accommodate Missoula's growing population and house new businesses.
The infrastructure plan projects up to 15,000 new homes and 7.7 million square feet of industrial space over the next 50 years. The latter could support nearly 11,500 jobs. By promoting such high-density development, the plan aims to reduce sprawl in other areas and “foster a vibrant economy and improve the quality of life for residents.”
The area will likely be served by a wastewater treatment facility and is zoned for single-family and multi-family housing, along with a blend of commercial shops. The county plan calls for roughly eight units per acre.
“Without a wastewater treatment facility in place, this level of density would not be achievable,” the county told the EPA. “The alternative would be individual septic systems and private wells, which could meet the minimum density of 8 units per acre but would be unlikely to achieve greater density through multiplexes and apartment complexes.”
According to the county, providing a variety of housing types unlocks other public benefits, including low-income and workforce housing, both of which remain in short supply in Missoula. A wastewater system would also protect human health, along with groundwater and other environmental concerns.
While the county looks to wastewater, the private sector has already approached the county to establish the makings of a water system. One of those partners includes Grass Valley Industrial, which has plans for its own property at the Wye.
Under subdivision regulations, water for both domestic use and fire suppression are required ahead of development. Rather than building a site-specific system for one parcel of property, Grass Valley and other partners will develop a water system large enough to serve 20 users across 70 acres.
It will also be designed to expand to other properties as development moves in. The county has already approved $5.3 million in tax increment to aid in the process. As agreed upon, the private sector will build the water system and the county will assume ownership and reimburse the cost once the system is operational.
“We need to build at certain levels of intensity, and we need the infrastructure to do that. Otherwise, we end up building at low density,” said Hagemeier.
