Cathcart Properties Inc. plans to develop 19 acres of a historic ranch property with a total of 300 residential units in a range of building types off Flynn Lane.
While the mayor's request for an emergency levy to fund the operation of a second homeless shelter for the remainder of the year remains on the table, members of the Missoula City Council on Wednesday directed city staff to present a menu of other options and provide regular updates on the progress.
The proclamation of an emergency over homelessness and shelter may allow the city to adopt two mills to help fund what some see as a solution, but it will be up to the City Council to levy the tax, the city attorney said Monday night.
Work to convert an old West Broadway motel into transitional housing for homeless veterans will receive an $833,000 funding boost from Missoula County, which is helping cover some of project's construction and design costs.
Cathcart Properties Inc. is asking the city to annex the 19-acre property upon preliminary approval of the subdivision. If approved, Sapphire Place would include 39 lots with a total of 300 residential units in a range of building types, including duplexes and apartments.
The bulk of Missoula's housing development in each of the last two years has taken place in the city's greater Mullan area, though it shouldn't come as a surprise given the millions of dollars invested into infrastructure and road improvements in the area.
The lack of options available to the City of Missoula regarding homeless campers has left most City Council members frustrated and eager to find a solution, which is likely to cost taxpayers money.
Later this month, Missoula home owners and others around the state will receive what they may dread the most – the state's latest appraised value of their property.
The new designation allows for 16 acres of residential building and 14 acres of commercial while also setting aside 13 acres as open space. It also allows a density of 16 dwelling units per acre.
With urban camping at a crisis level, members of the Missoula City Council this week pressed municipal court officials on accusations that they haven't been holding campers cited for a violation accountable for their actions.
With the public's tolerance for urban camping growing thin, city officials on Monday said they're looking at all solutions, but shelter options for the city's homeless population are thin and without them, there isn't much they can do.