2 weeks Ago By GRIFFEN SMITH [email protected]
The unfinished wooden frames of townhomes in Missoula's Northside neighborhood will soon become a new residential hub, which city officials touted Thursday as a major milestone toward increasing homeownership. Construction supervisors, city leaders, and housing advocates toured the active construction site of the Ravara-Scott Street Development, a public-private affordable housing project which is set to add 45 deed-restricted condos and more than 200 new market-rate units. A tour of the new Ravara-Scott Street Development in Missoula on Thursday.
Construction supervisors, city leaders, and housing advocates toured the active Ravara-Scott Street Development, which is set to add 45 deed-restricted condos and more than 200 new market-rate units. "We are thrilled to have this (project) come out of the ground," Davis told members of the press on Thursday, adding it's a successful example of the city working with private partners and nonprofits to provide both conventional market-rate homes as well as affordable homes. Construction first broke ground in March 2024.
The Thursday tour highlighted three- and-four bedroom townhomes that face Scott Street. Workers continue on the construction of the Ravara-Scott Street Development in Missoula on Thursday. Construction first broke ground in March 2024.
Those initial units will be sold at market rate, according to developer for Goodworks Ventures Kaih Hochstetler. The first wave of homes should be ready for residents in 2026. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency first purchased the 19-acre lot in 2020 and helped finance the affordable housing project under new state laws that passed in 2023.
Revenue from the first wave of townhomes sold will help the city and private partners develop the deed-restricted housing portion. That deed restriction will last in perpetuity, Davis said, and allow people making below 120% of the median area income to purchase the condo at below market rate. Construction on those homes will start sometime in 2026, according to Hochstetler, with the goal of completing the affordable units in 2027.
Another 220 housing units will also be built on the other side of Charlo Street and will include more than 30,000 square feet of commercial space. Hochstetler said the project considers both affordability and the need to intensely develop the property to add as many housing units as possible, which will offer a diverse range of prices. "That's been a key component that we've tried to drive home from the beginning," he said.
"With the shared wall townhome concept ...
it allows us to reach a higher level of urban density, which is a higher utilization of all the core infrastructure, but it also creates livable spaces for the community." The project team is working with a grocery store and other local businesses to use the new space, he said, which will come online in a separate phased approach between 2027 and 2028. Davis said the project would not be possible without the Missoula Redevelopment Agency.
The development arm of the city first purchased the 19-acre lot in 2020 and helped finance the affordable housing project under new state laws that passed in 2023. Davis also touted the project as part of the city's strategy of purchasing land to redevelop for new housing. The Missoulian previously reported the city has purchased more than 45 acres of land that has been eyed for future development.
"Because of the work that the (Northside) neighborhood did, and because of partnerships with local partners like the city and others, we've been able to turn this space, which was basically an underutilized industrial site, to be a thriving part of the city," Davis said. Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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