Solving Missoula's Affordable Housing Puzzle, Part II

Can Density in Missoula Be Done Right?

By Dana Green, 6-08-06

This is the second in a two-part series on affordable housing in Missoula. Click here for part one.

So how can Missoula do infill -- and density -- right?

It's a tough question. Many residents don't want Missoula to become a typical, densely developed city. They want to see its rural neighborhoods and large lots remain that way. They want to continue seeing open pastures and horses, trees and mountains.

In other words, they don't want change. Or growth. It's a natural emotion for many in Missoula, scarred by spiraling growth for the last two decades.

Ward 4 City Councilman Jon Wilkins, who represents residents in a middle-class, older neighborhood with spacious lots just west of the University golf course, ran for his Council seat promising his constituents to fight infill.

Wilkins doesn't believe neighbors had a proper say in the infill developments that occurred over the last few years.

Neighbors should have the right to protest projects, Wilkins said.

"You have to give neighbors the right to say ‘yes' or ‘no,'" he said. "It makes the developer go in and work with the neighborhood."

Some call them NIMBYs -- but Wilkins believe most infill opponents have worked hard their whole lives and want to enjoy what they've earned.

Wilkins acknowledged that much of the controversial infill projects were rentals -- which changed the character of neighborhoods, he said.

"I'm not against infill," Wilkins added. "(But) we have zoning for a reason, to protect the neighborhood."

Affordable housing should be done by community organizations -- in appropriate areas, Wilkins believes.

"If you're going to do infill, it should be downtown, near shops and services," he said.

Wilkins' constituents are not alone -- a 2005 survey showed residents deeply divided over infill.

Many didn't like density, but they also didn't like longer commute times.

We don't like infill -- but we don't like sprawl either.

There is a fundamental rift in the community over how large lots should be, planning and grants administrator Mike Barton believes. But the hard choice comes down to building more densely in the city -- or forcing growth outward to rural areas, Barton said.

"Do you try to accommodate more growth on less land, or do you spread down on agricultural land and open space?" he said. "It's a fundamental policy decision."

Housing advocates insist density in city limits -- despite the ongoing political battle -- can be done right.

Infill has been most controversial in rural and older neighborhoods, where large lots, five-acre tracts and horse pastures are still common. Dense developments feel out of place in those neighborhoods -- and without tough, neighborhood-oriented design standards, they will be out of place, said developer Collin Bangs.

Neighbors must have a say in how density happens in their neighborhoods from the start, Bangs believes.

"If you don't make infill fit, it will be killed politically," Bangs said.

At the same time, Bangs says, Missoula's rural neighborhoods will develop -- and it is up to the city if they want to see affordable housing be part of the mix.

"(Neighbors) consider those five-acre pastures their open space," Bangs said. "But if you plan development effectively, it's a chance to set aside permanent, (public) open space."

But there are other infill opportunities scattered around the city that are less controversial.

There are prime opportunities for denser housing in downtown and central Missoula, advocates believe -- if it is done in the right place, with the right design -- and the funding is in place to make those opportunities happen.

Some areas that have been brought up include Brooks Street, brownfield sites, and undeveloped land outside of established neighborhoods.

In 2003, North Missoula Community Development Corporation began construction on Clark Fork Commons, a cluster of 25 townhomes bordering the Clark Fork River off Broadway.

The riverfront project has won accolades from designers, city officials and housing advocates alike.

Today, the project is almost complete, and seven units have been sold, said Bob Oaks, head of NMCDC.

The project is close to the public trail system and city infrastructure, in an area zoned for mixed development.

"Residents are able to get on their bikes and go to the university and the mall," he said. Townhomes made each unit far more affordable, he added.

"(Townhomes) have to happen if land prices keep going up," he said. "It's a matter of simple arithmetic."

Using their community land trust program, which allows the nonprofit to retain ownership of the land, the units will sell for $113,000 to individuals at 80 percent of median income or below, Oaks said.

Oaks believes land trusts are a crucial tool to ensure affordability for future homebuyers.

"They are still able to build equity," he said. "While ensuring the property remains affordable. It holds that subsidy in place."

But funding community land trusts and developing other appropriate affordable housing projects requires a steady stream of local funding -- something the city of Missoula doesn't have.

Clark Fork Commons was created using a variety of federal funds, including Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds, and Missoula Redevelopment Agency assistance with infrastructure such as sidewalks.

Right now, such projects are usually funded through federal grants -- which isn't enough, Oaks argued.

"The amount of dollars the federal government passes through is way shy of what the community needs to develop housing for average Missoulians," Oaks said. "It's a spit in the ocean compared to the need."

In addition, budget cuts have threatened to drastically shrink federal funding for affordable housing in the future, Oaks said.

Inclusionary zoning is one powerful tool to raise those local funds, in Oaks' view.

Inclusionary zoning requires private developers to either set aside a percentage of their new project for affordable housing, or pay a cash payment to a city fund. In effect, it creates a municipal bank account for affordable housing.

A prime opportunity was the former Champion Mill site, Oaks said.

It would have been a perfect site for the city of Missoula to buy to create denser development, but they missed that opportunity, he argued.

"Without inclusionary zoning, the city doesn't have the money to purchase that site," Oaks said. "It's one of the tools a city can use."

In Boulder, the housing authority receives $3 million per year from inclusionary zoning to put towards affordable housing projects, Hance said.

"We have the development occurring -- but we don't (make) that pay for more affordable housing," he said.

How feasible is inclusionary zoning in Missoula? That's up in the air, said city officials.

Mayor John Engen, who has voiced support for appropriate infill in downtown and other commercial areas, doesn't know if inclusionary zoning will pass muster politically.

"I don't know whether it has the kind of support it needs," Engen said. "It's a concept that is new in Missoula, and probably scary to many. (But) the idea of building affordability into projects is attractive."

Councilwoman Heidi Kendall noted that the Missoula County/City Growth Policy, already approved by commissioners and up for review by Council, allows the city to enact inclusionary zoning.

But whether it will be supported is another story, Kendall said.

"I don't know if we'll have inclusionary zoning anytime soon," she said.

In the 2005 Growth Policy survey, 83 percent of surveyed county residents supported the idea of ensuring affordable housing for low-income wager earners.

In MHA Director Peter Hance's view, the time is now to make affordable housing a community priority -- and find a way to fund it.

What's at stake -- a Missoula where only the wealthy can live, while wage earners have to commute from further and further away, Hance believes.

The Housing Authority is currently working on creating a neighborhood at the former Intermountain Lumber site on Russell Street.

It will be a wide mix of housing styles, from single-family homes to condominiums that meet federal affordable housing standards. A park and community theater will be part of the design, Hance said.

The mix of houses -- and the families that live there -- is what makes a true neighborhood, Hance believes.

"We love our (mixed) neighborhoods -- why aren't we replicating those?" Hance asked. "Why are we (building) monocultural homes outside of town?"

Although the two sides on the infill debate don't agree on much, everyone -- housing advocates, city officials, and infill opponents -- agree on one thing.

The devil is in the details.

It's up to Missoula city officials to do the hard work of creating policies that encourage density and affordability -- and fit well into existing neighborhoods.

Missoula will either take a proactive role in creating affordable housing that neighbors can live with -- or settle for sprawl, advocates warn.

"It's going to take a process of the city to create higher density with higher (standards)," Bangs said. "It's going to be a long process. But we just have to keep moving in that direction."

If Missoulians want affordable housing, they will have to have to push for it, Hance agreed.

"If we think home ownership is good, we have to make sure the average wage earner can afford to buy a home in Missoula," he said. "But it takes a strong political will to make it happen."

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