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Council members report planning and housing updates: MRA meeting, Midtown implementation and Higgins (SAM) working group
Summary
Committee members used the March 5 meeting to flag upcoming public planning events and working-group findings: a public meeting on the Montana Veil/Triangle master planning, Midtown implementation discussions on hotel capacity and land-use mapping, and Sam/Higgins Street working-group issues including ADA access and truck delivery concerns.
Members of the Committee of the Whole on March 5 reported several ongoing planning and housing items, including public engagement opportunities, Midtown implementation items and working-group discussions for the Higgins (Sam) planning area.
Mike Nugent and other members reminded the committee that the first public session for the Montana Veil and Triangle master planning process was scheduled that evening at the Brook Street Stockman Bank at 5:15 p.m., and that a survey is available on the city's Engage Missoula site for residents who cannot attend.
Gwen, a council member who sits on the Midtown implementation team, told the committee the group has been discussing a growing local demand for hotel rooms in Midtown to support sports tournaments, fairgrounds activity and large music events. The Midtown discussions also included scenario testing of land-use changes to inform later council decisions on implementing master-plan recommendations.
On the Higgins (Sam) working group, members said recent meetings raised two technical design challenges: providing an ADA-compliant ramp from the bridge down to Caras Park and ensuring adequate space for delivery trucks and semis to access Charas Park and the Ryman Street ramp. Participants reported a mix of views from business stakeholders: some said engagement felt meaningful and they were being heard, while others continued to express concern about participation and outcomes.
Housing funding process: council members who serve on the unified application scoring committee reported they had received eight applications for the city's affordable-housing funding round and were meeting to finalize scores; they said they would bring recommendations to council in the near term.
Other items: a council member reported attending a Citizens Law Enforcement Academy session featuring use-of-force demonstration and police training simulators, which council members described as a useful public-engagement and training program. No formal council actions resulted from these updates; members presented them as informational reports.
