Missoula News

Missoula's Future

Downtown Master Plan Nears Completion

By Jonathan Weber , 11-20-08

The master plan that’s in the works for downtown Missoula will take many years to implement, but if you want to do your part today to push it along, the consultants have a suggestion for you: shop local, and, especially, shop downtown.

And while Macy’s may not be locally owned, shop there too.

The reasons for that recommendation are simple: Retail is the critical driver for a healthy downtown, and with the retail economy under huge pressure from the economic downturn, local merchants need all the help they can get. Plus, local retail dollars turn over four to six times in the community, according to Tom Moriarity of Economic Research Associates, compared to one to two times for chain stores.

But Macy’s, with its downtown location, is a special case. At the fourth and final public forum on the master plan project Wednesday night, consultants Crandall Arambula identified four top-priority projects for getting the plan rolling, and two of them indirectly involve Macy’s: a new parking garage at the corner of Front and Pattee, which would allow Macy’s to expand onto its existing parking lot, and a new mixed-use commercial development, including a hotel, that’s envisioned for East Main just north of the store.

The other two top priorities are the so-called government center, which among other things involves building a new city/county structure on what’s now the police station parking lot, and starting development of the Riverfront Triangle parcel. (In case you haven’t been paying attention, the performing arts center that some have advocated for that location is not part of the plan; rather the one-time Fox Theatre site is seen as an “anchor” mixed-use development with an emphasis on offices and residential. A “cultural district” near Kiwanis Park might include a performing arts center at some stage.)

There were some 200 people at Wednesday’s meeting. “The process has created a much larger constituency for downtown,” said Ellen Buchanan, director of the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. While some neighborhoods are nervous about the process, she said there was now broader recognition of the role of downtown and a good framework for addressing a wide range of specific city development and transportation issues.

The plan includes a downtown streetcar running from the Madison Bride area west to Russell, though of course the money for such a system still needs to be found. Improved bike access is also a major feature of the plan; whether bikes lanes should be “protected” on Higgins and other streets remains controversial.

Of course, the master plan has not yet been adopted by the city council, and probably won’t be until next spring. But it appears to have good momentum. The next big test will be when and whether private companies will make the investments in new building projects. The current economy won’t help, but the master plan is all about the long term, and from that perspective I’d say it looks pretty good.

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