MISSOULA — Missoula County this week will consider an urban-style housing project off Highway 93 near the Wye — an area slated for transition over the coming years.
The project, proposed by Miramonte Manley Lofts LLC and represented by IMEG, proposes a blend of six- and eight-plex apartments at the intersection of Highway 93 and Waldo Road.
County planner Tim Worley said the property is currently zoned as a commercial center.
“Even though it doesn't have a commercial focus, it secondarily permits multi-family residential,” Worley said on Monday. “The underlying development plan here is for six and eight-plex buildings. The permit is in and mostly complete.”
The Wye has been a county focus over the past several years. Officials in 2019 adopted a new Land Use Map for the area and in 2023, they created a second Targeted Economic Development District to help fund future infrastructure needs.
The following year, developers announced plans for Grass Valley Gardens — a blended development with something of a town center, housing, agriculture and an employment hub.
Other projects are also in the works within the Wye planning area, which is anticipated to emerge as Missoula's next population center.
The Wye planning area encompasses around 3,500 acres and is expected to accommodate between 10,000 and 15,000 homes over the next several decades, county planners have said.
The Manley Lofts project may join the queue of projects if approved by the county. The project would be served by a Wye-area water system and tap into city sewer. A traffic study found that the project wouldn't require any immediate improvements to the state highway system.
“But this, combined with other developments, will in the coming years likely result in a signal at Waldo Road and Highway 93,” Worley said.
The cost of the signal is estimated at $1.8 million, which includes permitting, engineering and construction.
