Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 12/08/2025 Decision rested on land use, not mobile home economics The Great Falls City Commission approved last week the rezoning and annexation of an eastside lot to make way for a manufactured home development. The developer, Missoula-based Nine Blessings, has plans for 154 home sites on the 24-acre parcel along Seventh Avenue North and 42nd Street. City officials said that multiple contractors have pursued developments on the vacant land but abandoned plans after finding unstable soil conditions. This development, which will have homes on concrete slabs, could be a suitable option. “The highest and best use of the land is structures that are light and not on permanent foundations,” said Zach Backes, a partner at Nine Blessings. “Small manufactured homes fit the bill very well for this land.” Commissioners approved two measures to rezone the property to allow for a mobile home park and annex the land into the city. The votes were 4-1, with Commissioner Shannon Wilson against both times. Amid concerns about traffic and the safety of nearby elementary school students, Wilson’s objections were about the economics of mobile home residency. “I can’t in good conscience vote for it, because we’re putting low-income and low-moderate income residents at risk of losing everything,” Wilson said. In mobile home neighborhoods, residents own the home but lease the land, which makes their property subject to increases in lot rents and, in some cases, more abrupt changes. Wilson cited the Spring Creek Mobile Park in Flathead County, where residents received unexpected eviction notices after a new property owner planned to redevelop the area. A community fundraiser helped fund the residents’ moves. Multiple commenters Tuesday, including Wilson, referenced the nearby Great Falls neighborhood The Highwoods as an example of sharp rent increases that are outside the control of residents. An out-of-state property owner has more than doubled rents for many residents of The Highwoods in recent years. Affordable housing outlet Shelterforce detailed the so-called “aggressive” acquisition and rent increase tactics by Havenpark Communities, which owns The Highwoods and Countryside Village in Great Falls. Communities in Iowa and Washington state are challenging rent increases imposed by the company.  But the city’s review was limited to whether the proposal was an appropriate use of the land, according to Brock Cherry, Great Falls planning director. Commissioner Susan Wolff said that she shared the concerns for prospective residents, but that is not the commission’s role. “That’s not up to us to decide,” she said. “Our staff has worked really hard on this. The developer has worked really hard on this, working with the city to make adjustments. So I will be voting for this.” City staff conducted a traffic analysis and concluded that the neighborhood streets have sufficient capacity to accommodate the number of new households, even adjacent to Morningside Elementary School. The addition of sidewalks along Seventh Avenue North could be a benefit for students and parents, according to city documents. The proposed development is a low-lying area that tends to collect stormwater. A master stormwater plan from the city proposes a retention pond for that land. The annexation agreement requires the developer to accommodate a regional stormwater pond if the city wants to pursue those plans in the future. Jake Clark with the Great Falls Development Alliance spoke in favor of the development last week, saying that manufactured homes fill a need for affordable homes. The eastside of Great Falls could see a great deal of residential development in the coming years, including the Meadowview Village neighborhood along 46th Street. That project is planned to add 163 single-family homes. By the Numbers The decline in participation in community flu and COVID immunization clinics in 2025 compared to the previous year. Each year, the City-County Health Department of Great Falls and Cascade County hosts immunization clinics at drive-up and walk-up locations, as well as at large employers around the area. The department administered 2,751 flu and COVID shots last year. That number dropped to 1,786 in 2025, according to department records. The sharpest drop was in COVID vaccinations, which numbered 1,158 in 2024 but dropped to 654 in 2025. Abigail Hill, who was the city-county health officer until Friday, told Montana Free Press last week that while many factors contribute to immunization participation, actions by the federal government had an impact this year (Hill resigned amid a year of budget cuts and layoffs at the health department, reported The Electric). “It was most likely the delay in the federal government approving the vaccine that was the biggest contributing factor,” Hill said. Administrative delays in federal recommendations and approvals of this year’s COVID vaccines slowed the distribution of new COVID vaccines. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control has resurfaced claims of potential links between vaccines and autism, though public health research hasn’t supported such a link.  In late November, Cascade County commissioners approved a resolution recognizing a decrease in revenue, primarily from health insurance reimbursements, resulting from lower participation in immunization clinics run by the department. It also spent less to acquire fewer vaccines, but the net revenue loss was about $236,000. New parking fees will take months to enact While the Great Falls City Commission voted Dec. 1 to raise parking fees and fines to close a budget shortfall, the changes may not be enacted until March as the fund deficit is expected to grow into six figures. At a regularly scheduled commission meeting Dec. 2, Mayor Cory Reeves said he would have voted differently had he considered that timeline more. “I’m having buyer’s remorse right now if I’m being candid with you,” Reeves said. “I guess I didn’t fully understand that this is going to take four months to implement this and the significant debt we’re taking on.” Public notice and timing requirements to pass the new fee structure mean that the city commission could approve a first ordinance reading on Jan. 6, hold a public hearing on Feb. 3 and take a second vote and then expect implementation on March 3, assuming a majority of commissioners approve those steps. During that time, the fund deficit could grow from about $8,700 at the start of December to more than $150,000 by March. The fund has been running a deficit for months and has recently exhausted its reserve funding. The commission voted Dec. 1 to continue its contract with SP Plus, which provides enforcement personnel but is the main cost driver for the parking program. The alternative would have been to cut the cost of the SP Plus contract rather than raise revenues to pay for it. The commission could still opt for the cost-cutting option, although the SP Plus contract is subject to a 60-day notice. Commissioners discussed last week whether the contract should be cut but didn’t reach a resolution different from the current plan. Commissioner Shannon Wilson pointed out that, with the 60-day contract notice, the city is already committed to a significant portion of the accruing debt. “We can’t get out of that,” Wilson said. “I think we need to stick with the plan and set something by 30 April and work toward that.” April 30 is the deadline to receive proposals for an entirely revised parking program. After the commission votes on a new plan, it may still take months to implement that program. In the meantime, the plan is to eventually introduce new fines and fees to halt debt accumulation. You can read background on the parking fund’s issues and more on the Dec. 1 decision by the city commission. But for quick reference, here are the changes that are expected to come before city commissioners in January: On-street metered parking fees $1.50 per hour (currently $1 per hour) Violation fines First offense: $10 (currently a free courtesy ticket) Second offense: $20 (currently $5) Third offense: $40 (currently $10) Fourth or subsequent offense: $75 (currently $20) Other changes Meter bagging fee for construction or special events: $10 (currently $5 per day) Pedlet fee for outdoor restaurant seating: $500 (currently $400 per season) Elimination of the 15-minute courtesy parking spots Booting a vehicle with five or more parking tickets more than 30 days old (currently requires a mailed final notice before booting) 5 Things to Know in Great Falls A social media influencer from Great Falls who allegedly harassed a baby wombat in Australia now faces hunting license violations in Wyoming. The Cowboy State Daily reported that the state’s game and fish department says that Samantha Strable applied for multiple resident hunting and fishing licenses, despite living in Montana. She killed an elk, an antelope and a mountain lion using those tags in 2024 and 2025, according to the charges. NeighborWorks Great Falls plans to demolish an abandoned home at 1118 Second Ave. S. and build an income-restricted home in its place. On Dec. 2, the Great Falls City Commission approved a $50,000 community development block grant for the purchase and demolition of the structure. NeighborWorks Great Falls Executive Director Sherrie Arey told commissioners that it’s part of an effort to grow the affordable housing stock in the city. “We’re happy to do this one house at a time, one block at a time,” she said. A public hearing is set for Jan. 6 to consider the sale of the old community rec center to a daycare business. EduCare Preschool and Child Care submitted the only bid for the building at the entry price of $800,000. The daycare already runs a facility on Sixth Street South. A separate daycare business had been leasing the former rec center at 801 Second Ave. N. Great Falls Park and Recreation is still seeking donors to sponsor the replacement of trees in Gibson Park. The cost ranges between $495 and $770, and the selection of available trees has been chosen for their fall colors, drought tolerance and canopy coverage, according to the city. The Roots Revival group is leading the donation drive, and more information is available here. Construction at the Indian Family Health Clinic will close Central Avenue from 12th Street to 13th Street this week. Access to local businesses will remain, but the roadway will be closed while the clinic has water and fire systems installed. Work is expected to last through Dec. 12. 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