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Urban Renewal District III Curb & Sidewalk Needs Assessment

Final Report

After working with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency and recieving feedback about draft recomendations, a Final Curb & Sidewalk Needs Assessment has been completed.Click here to view the Final Report.

Backround/Vision/Goals & Objectives

On December 11, 2000 the Missoula City Council created Urban Renewal District (URD) III, establishing tax increment financing to address conditions of blight in the area surrounding the Brooks Street corridor.  One of the first actions was to evaluate the district’s most pressing needs and redevelopment opportunities.  The 2003 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Midtown Missoula Report was prepared and is the guiding document for the district.

The ULI report identified significant challenges – ranging from aging infrastructure to a lack of landscaping – but also exciting opportunities. Midtown is centrally located, minutes from Downtown, the University, hospitals, schools, services, and employment centers. It is anchored by a major regional shopping center, Southgate Mall, and has significant, underutilized land resources. ULI’s vision for Midtown is a sweeping transformation from a largely disparate commercial and light-industrial area to a vibrant, livable, mixed-use district, with attractive streetscapes, cohesive neighborhoods, and public spaces.

This vision of Midtown includes:

• Identity - Compatible districts of land uses and development types.
• Connectivity - Strong connections to destinations within and adjacent to Midtown.
• Desirability - Attractive streets, sidewalks, landscaping, street lighting, parks, and public spaces.

The URD III Curb & Sidewalk Needs Assessment is the first step to realizing this vision. It will asses the basic infrastructure that contributes to desirability and livability within the district by:

• Assessing the existing curb and sidewalk infrastructure.
• Identifying missing links and critical connections in the transportation network.
• Identifying opportunities to invest strategically to create incentives for redevelopment.

Types of Projects:

Basic Curb and Sidewalk Infrastructure Needs
These projects are recommended to improve pedestrian safety, aesthetics, property values, parking, drainage, street cleaning and maintenance. These include curbs and sidewalks that are missing or in poor condition, curb extensions, and median refuge crossings.

Transportation Network Improvements
These projects are recommended to improve connectivity and circulation within Midtown and to destinations outside the district. These include trail connections, bike routes, new traffic signals or roundabouts, street improvements, and new street connections. 

Streetscape and Aesthetic Improvements
These projects are recommended to improve the identity, aesthetics, and character of Midtown. These include gateway signing, wayfinding, landscaping, and pocket parks