Missoula commissioners weigh Blackfoot Crossing plan amid heated public debate over travel plaza and housing

A proposal to rezone roughly 107 acres along the Blackfoot River for mixed housing, commercial space and open land prompted lengthy staff presentations and more than two hours of public comment before the Missoula Board of County Commissioners on March 5.

Planning staff described a package of actions that would change the property’s 2019 land‑use designation from heavy industrial to a patchwork of commercial center, neighborhood center and resource/open lands, add roads and utilities and allow an estimated 355–400 housing units in the neighborhood center portion. Kathleen Arthur, a county planner, told the commission the applicant, Blackfoot Crossing LLC, proposes sidewalks, a sewer and water system and a trail easement along the river; she also said the planning board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the growth‑policy amendment and rezoning.

The project’s subdivision review, presented by Jenny Dixon, included three requested variances — including a conditional exception for a through lot and narrower on‑site improvements on West Riverside Drive — and 38 recommended conditions tied to traffic mitigation, riparian buffers, stormwater maintenance, weed management and DEQ approval of well and wastewater locations. Staff told commissioners the developer had capped the likely home count between roughly 355 and 400 and proposed phasing through 2034.

Andrew Hegmire, the county’s community and economic development director, outlined how a targeted economic development district (TED) might be used to fund infrastructure. Hegmire said tax‑increment financing can reimburse private investment in public infrastructure, but noted the Bonner West Logyard TED currently yields only about $60,000 per year in increment and is scheduled to sunset in November 2029 — creating a compressed timetable. Under Hegmire’s timeline, buildings would need certificates of occupancy by late 2027 for their tax increment to be available in time to back bonds before the TED expired.

Developer Gregory “Greg” Morris — who said his stated mission is delivering “attainable housing” — framed the project as an effort to convert a former logyard into housing, trails and neighborhood‑oriented commercial uses. Morris told the commission his team is pursuing binding workforce‑housing commitments tied to any TIFF (tax increment funding) support and said the travel plaza now being discussed is a financing mechanism, not his preferred land use. “Fifteen acres of travel plaza funds 92 acres of community benefit,” he said, promising DEQ‑approved wastewater treatment, on‑site trails and partnerships with Habitat for Humanity and community land trusts.

Public comment drew strong, split views. Neighbors and environmental advocates urged the county to adopt neighborhood‑center zoning (which would not allow a full travel plaza) and warned about groundwater impacts, river contamination risk and traffic increases. “A second large‑scale gas station and convenience store would mar the beauty and desirability of our community,” one resident said. Other speakers, including housing advocates and some longtime residents, supported the rezoning and emphasized the county’s stated need for more starter and workforce housing.

The board did not make a final decision March 5. Commissioners said the volume of public testimony and the complexity of financing and environmental questions required more time; they scheduled a continuation for March 12 and invited additional written comments and agency follow‑up before making a final determination.

What’s next: the commission will take up the record at the March 12 meeting, after staff and the applicant respond to outstanding DEQ, MDT and public‑works questions and after commissioners consider alternatives presented by staff such as limiting commercial center zoning or adopting neighborhood‑center zoning for portions of the site.