MISSOULA — Roughly one year after the City Council passed a resolution calling for the redevelopment of the Johnson Street shelter property, the effort took its big first step forward this week.
The Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) on Monday released a request for proposals, seeking a qualified consulting firm to begin gathering public input regarding the 8-acre property's future use.
“We're seeking a qualified consulting firm to conduct a public engagement process, then create a redevelopment plan that incorporates community ideas,” Michael Hicks with MRA told the City Council on Wednesday.
Proposals are due on Oct. 9, he added.
Starting the public engagement piece is the first significant step taken by the city since the Missoula City Council passed a resolution last September, calling on the city to begin master-planning the property within one year.
The resolution also included a goal of removing the old shelter building within three years. The city is now down to two years and counting.
“We've talked about this for years, the redevelopment of that area including the Johnson Street shelter,” said council member Gwen Jones. “This starts that process.”
Property initially purchased for mixed-use development
The city purchased roughly 12 acres off Johnson Street from Montana Rail Link in 2017, with plans to redevelop a portion of the site into a mixed-use development.
The city followed through on half of that pledge by creating a 4-acre park on a portion of the property, which has become a popular neighborhood attraction.
But in 2021, the city opened an empty warehouse left on the property to serve as an emergency winter shelter. The city funded the shelter's operation for the following two years during the cold season.
But last year, at the request of homeless advocates, the city turned the facility into a year-round shelter. That drew the ire of area neighbors who said crime had escalated around the shelter since it opened. They also said the city had pledged to redevelop the property, not make it a permanent homeless facility.
It was then that the City Council adopted its resolution to ensure the city began planning for the site's future. Adopting a goal of removing the shelter completely before 2027 also signaled to the neighbors that the shelter wasn't going to be a permanent fixture after all.
This week, the City Council signed an operating contract for the shelter good for two years, though only one year is funded. The end of that two-year period marks the point in which the shelter is supposed to be removed, per the city's own resolution.
It's not yet clear if, how or where the city will establish a new shelter, according to Emily Armstrong, the city's homeless services director.
“We don't have a process actively underway right now to site those facilities without funding. That's a challenging issue to tackle,” she told members of the City Council on Wednesday. “We've been having robust conversations across the community about what types of shelters are preferred. There's a number of shelter models in discussion.”
Banking land for future development
The Johnson Street property is just one of several purchased by the city in recent years as part of its land-banking strategy. Among other things, owning the land gives the city more sway in how the property is redeveloped, according to advocates.
That was the case with 19 acres purchased by the city on Scott Street. Ownership enabled the city to partner with a private developer and push for a set number of affordable or income-restricted homes within the development.
Construction is now underway on the project, starting with 3 acres reserved as a community land trust. That phase will bring more than 70 income-restricted condos to the market.
The city also owns the old Sleepy Inn property off West Broadway, along with the old library block in the downtown district and the nearby Riverfront Triangle.
The city is also conducting due diligence on 10 acres near the mall. The property is vacant and has no infrastructure but is well-positioned for denser infill and mixed-use development.
