A plan to bring more than 670 housing units to the market in a Mullan-area subdivision checked another box on Tuesday night by earning a recommendation of approval from the Planning Board.
The Paisley Park subdivision is planned for 40 acres at the eventual intersection of England Boulevard and Chuckwagon Drive. The property is already bordered by a number of other subdivisions in various stages of construction.
Added up and they'll deliver around 2,000 housing units, according to city planner Dave DeGrandpre.
“These projects aren't happening in isolation,” he said. “There's a plan to connect some of these pathways. There's a larger plan to integrate this with the larger transportation network.”
The project is designed to meet the mandates of the Sxwtpqyen Master Site Plan, along with the city's zoning and subdivision regulations. If approved, the project would be annexed into the city, adding to Missoula's westward growth.
The owner, OO Land Holdings LLC, plans a blend of single-family homes, condos, and multi-family housing units.
“The developer's goal with this project is really to create a variety of housing types at a variety of price points, and a variety of ownership and rental opportunities,” said project representative Matt Hammerstein with Woith Engineering. “This project doesn't have any variances against it. It's the first for me in my career without any variances. It was a good process with city staff to get to that point.”
While some have voiced opposition to the project due to concerns regarding traffic and growth, the larger project area was identified by the city and county as a growth opportunity. The city and county together applied for and received a federal grant to help bring infrastructure to the area to guide that growth.
With the project's adherence to various city plans – and legislative changes to state law – members of the planning board had little reason to recommend the project be denied.
A rendering of the Paisley Park subdivision.
“What we have before us is a Sxwtpqyen master plan, which has already gone through public review and put into place. We have an application before us that has no variances from the plan. We have a duty to follow the law,” said board member Rick Hall. “This is an area targeted for growth. I know that growth can be painful. But it's what's considered for that area.”
Still, other impacts prompted by the area's growth remain unanswered, particularly regarding schools. The Hellgate Elementary School District didn't offer comment on the Paisley project, but surrounding growth has brought new students to the district.
“There's no doubt that Hellgate Elementary and the schools out there are being impacted by these subdivisions,” said board member Sean McCoy. “We've got to figure out a way to alleviate that. If we don't start developing a plan pretty soon, we'll be behind the curve.”
But Missoula's housing shortage and the resulting costs continue to fuel calls for an increase in housing stock. The city is expected to take up code reform this year, the results of which look to streamline development.
“This is an attempt to try and address that housing-cost rise by building more. That's one of our main options,” said McCoy. “Code reform is finding out ways to build more housing to address the housing shortage. I know it's not a popular perception of how this actually works, but it really is the dynamic that's at play.”
