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Missoula County advances Blackfoot Crossing with Neighborhood Center carve-out, approves subdivision and variances amid community split
Summary
After extensive public comment both opposing and supporting the project, commissioners adopted resolutions of intent and approved subdivision variances and the Blackfoot Crossing Riverfront subdivision; they designated lots 23–27 as Neighborhood Center and recorded multiple conditions while staff and the developer discussed TED/TIFF financing and DEQ permitting timelines.
Missoula County commissioners advanced the Blackfoot Crossing project on multiple fronts Wednesday after hours of public comment that split neighborhood opinion over a proposed travel plaza and the financing tools the developer says are necessary to fund public infrastructure.
The developer, Gregory Morse, presented a 107-acre plan called Blackfoot Crossing that includes roughly 50 acres of neighborhood serving residential development, 30 acres of protected open land with trails, and approximately 10 acres of manufacturing or commercial uses. Morse said a small area proposed for heavier commercial use — described in the presentation as a potential travel plaza or travel-plaza-sized lot — would generate tax increment that is necessary to fund water, sewer and transportation infrastructure that make the broader, attainable-housing vision financeable.
Opponents at the public comment period repeatedly urged the county to rezone the parcel’s eastern lots from Commercial Center (CC) to Neighborhood Center (NC) to prevent a truck stop or travel plaza near the West Riverside neighborhood. Speakers cited concerns about water quality near the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers, noise and light pollution, traffic, emergency-call volumes associated with existing truck stops, and long-term neighborhood character.
Supporters of the proposal — including neighbors and local realtors who described housing shortages — argued that well-planned development with public water and wastewater systems could deliver needed housing and serve the surrounding area.
Staff and the applicant’s team explained the permitting and financing sequence: the developer has been working with DEQ, DNRC and county public-health officials on public water and wastewater permits and environmental review, and the TED/TIFF (targeted economic development / tax increment financing) mechanism the applicant cites requires careful timing. County staff and the developer warned the TED as configured has a statutory sunset period (discussed as 2029 in the hearing) and that bonding or other financing adjustments would be needed to extend district benefits long enough to reimburse infrastructure investment.
After deliberation about options to allow more time for creative financing, commissioners voted to adopt a resolution of intent to amend the Missoula County land-use map and the Missoula County zoning map with an explicit carve-out: lots 23 through 27 in Blackfoot Crossing Phase 1 will be designated and zoned as Neighborhood Center. Commissioners also approved three variances for the subdivision with conditions (access-strip limitation on Lot 5, an exemption for curb/gutter on a portion of West Riverside Drive, and a requirement for a minimum 5-foot roadside path on the onsite portion of West Riverside Drive) and then approved the Blackfoot Crossing Riverfront subdivision subject to 38 staff-recommended conditions.
Legal counsel and county staff discussed procedural options to buy time for negotiation, including delaying publication of the resolution of intent notice within statutory limits so parties could pursue financing options and coordination with Missoula Development Authority channels. Staff noted that publication and comment timelines are governed by state statute, and commissioners can delay the first publication to create room for additional engagement before final adoption.
Commissioners asked the developer and staff to convene a broad problem-solving group to secure the infrastructure financing and to refine implementation steps. The developer offered to convene community discussion and said he would continue work with the county and partner agencies to deliver water and wastewater systems, open-space protections and housing, but stressed the project’s financing window creates time pressure.
Next procedural steps: record the resolution of intent (triggering the public-notice/comment window under state law), pursue required DEQ/DNRC approvals for public water and wastewater, and meet the conditions attached to subdivision approval. Commissioners and staff emphasized continued community engagement and monitoring of permitting milestones.
