Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 01/23/2026 “Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected]. Market-rate and income-qualified homes will be available this spring  The first completed homes in the Scott Street-Ravara development are for sale, marking a major landmark in the multi-year project.  The development is located on nine acres of the former White Pine and Sash mill site, adjacent to Scott Street and the railroad tracks. The city purchased the land in 2020 and partnered with Ravara Development, a subsidiary of Goodworks Ventures, to develop the site. The developer transferred three acres of the property to Front Step Community Land Trust in October 2024.  The trust site will include 89 for-sale condos and townhomes, with about 47 income-qualified for households earning less than 120% of the area median income. That’s about $94,560 for a two-person household or $118,200 for four people.  Brittany Palmer, the executive director of Front Step, said during a press conference Wednesday that many of the nonprofit’s other housing options are limited to those earning up to 80% of the area median income, and that this project allows the organization to serve a larger range of homebuyers who cannot afford a market-rate home.  “Some folks who just recently purchased in our program within the last year are nonprofit employees, a paralegal,” she said. “Lots of single-person households or a single person with maybe a kid or two tend to be the folks who are priced out of the market-rate homeownership class in Missoula. And so I’m really looking forward to who we can serve with this project.”  Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis, second from the left, speaks about the Scott-Street Ravara housing development during a tour of the first completed homes Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. Credit: Katie Fairbanks/MTFP The first homes available for sale will be 17 market-rate three-bedroom and four-bedroom townhomes. Those are listed for $625,000 and $640,000. In April, six market-rate condos and 21 income-qualified condos, ranging in size from studio to two-bedroom, will be available for purchase. The income-qualified condos will likely range from $176,000 to $287,000, according to Front Step.  Next month, Front Step will open the application period for the homes, said Hannah Kosel, Front Step’s stewardship program manager. Anyone who is interested can fill out a screening form on Front Step’s website. Those moving forward with an application are required to take a homebuyer education course and work with a lender to ensure they are mortgage-ready. Front Step will begin selecting homebuyers in mid-March, Kosel said.  “It’s thrilling to welcome new homeowners in for the first time, but I think what is exciting about this project is to think about who might move in 20, 30, 50 years from now,” they said. “To know that these homes will be made available and affordable … to working neighbors of Missoula is really exciting on that front to know that this isn’t just a one-time investment for the first families who move into these homes, but that this will really maintain in perpetuity.”  The second phase of construction will include at least 26 income-qualified homes, with a mix of condos and townhomes, as well as about 19 market-rate homes. Construction will begin after the first phase of homes is sold, which will help fund the project, said Kiah Hochstetler, a Goodworks development partner. Ravara Development is also planning for the other six acres of the site, which is set to include commercial space and market-rate housing. The initial plans called for about 225 apartments, but that could vary depending on the market, said Dawn McGee, CEO of Goodworks Ventures. Hochstetler said he is negotiating leases with commercial tenants to develop a “fundable project” that could include a grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop and office space. Breaking ground on the commercial space depends on signing enough tenants, he said.  Mayor Andrea Davis said Northside and Westside residents have wanted more businesses in their neighborhoods, but those projects require a large customer base in the surrounding area to be successful. The Scott-Street Ravara project aims to provide that, along with a diversity of home types, Davis said.  “This was, as you know, industrial wasteland for many years,” she said. “And it took the persistence and the desire from the neighborhood and the partnership with the city and others to achieve residential status for these homes to be built. And so, because now we have clean land, this parcel of land can now be a vibrant part of this amazing neighborhood.”  Comings and Goings Providence Montana is opening its new Southgate Health Center in Missoula Monday. The $18 million facility, adjacent to the Southgate Mall, includes an urgent care clinic, a primary care clinic and a cardiology clinic.  The clinic, formerly a Bed, Bath and Beyond, includes eight cardiology rooms, 19 primary care exam rooms, six urgent care exam rooms, as well as rooms for procedures, x-rays, mammograms and echocardiograms.  Laura Shelton, Providence Montana Medical Group’s chief medical officer, sits in the waiting room of Providence’s new Southgate Health Center. Credit: Katie Fairbanks/MTFP The center was designed to meet the growing needs of the area and provide a convenient location for south Missoula and Bitterroot residents, said Laura Shelton, Providence Montana Medical Group’s chief medical officer, in a press release. Western Montana has a shortage of primary care providers, and the area’s growing population has contributed to increased waiting times and patients forgoing care, according to Providence.   “Access to high-quality primary care plays a crucial role in preventing illness, managing chronic diseases, and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations,” Shelton said in the release.  When fully staffed with seven providers, the primary care clinic is expected to serve more than 12,000 patients of all ages annually, according to Providence.  The organization will hire providers for the new Southgate Clinic as the need grows, Shelton said. Two doctors from Providence’s Grant Creek clinic on North Reserve will begin practicing at the new location Monday. The cardiology clinic will serve established patients referred by a primary care provider. Services, including x-ray, mammography and labs, will not be available for a few months.  Verbatim  “It has been my incredible privilege to serve alongside each of you in our important work here at UM. Thank you for your faith in me these past eight years, for your incredible hard work and commitment to our students, and for your belief in the importance of this university’s mission.” —University of Montana President Seth Bodnar, in a Wednesday letter announcing that he is stepping down from his position.      The announcement follows rumors that Bodnar may run for U.S. Senate as an independent. Bodnar has not declared a candidacy. In his letter, Bodnar did not confirm his reason for leaving UM, but stated he and his wife would like to “consider whether to pursue a new way to serve our state and our nation.”  Read more about Bodnar’s announcement here.  5 Things to Know in Missoula  The Missoula City Council is set to discuss and potentially vote on the new unified development code and updates to the land use plan Monday. The UDC includes zoning, subdivision, public works and parks-related regulations previously separated in different documents. The proposed updates to the Our Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan would align the document, adopted in December 2024, with the new code. The city council opened the public hearing on the new code Jan. 12 and has discussed amendments proposed by staff and council members during meetings the last two Wednesdays. The council still has several amendments to the code to consider, including proposed changes to the zoning map. Council Member Mike Nugent said Wednesday the council will consider as many proposed amendments as possible Monday but may delay the final vote if the meeting goes too late. A list of the amendments will be attached to the council’s Monday agenda. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency board last week approved spending more than $400,000 in tax increment financing on new sidewalks and street improvements in the Westside neighborhood. The project includes construction of missing sidewalk segments on Maple Street and improvements to sidewalks, streets and pedestrian safety on Birch Street. The MRA board approved spending up to $401,770 in tax increment financing funds on the project, including a $247,250 contract with Knife River. The city’s Public Works and Mobility Department will complete the remaining parts of the project and will provide labor and equipment costs totaling $73,200. Construction is set to begin in the spring.  The Missoula County commissioners last week opposed plans for a new cell tower in Condon for being inconsistent with the new Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan. Harmoni Towers Corporation plans to build a 260-foot cell tower with rotating lights at 190 U Log Yard Road in Condon, according to a letter submitted by the commissioners to the Federal Communications Commission. The tower is inconsistent with the neighborhood plan’s objective to maintain the valley’s rural character and to protect scenic views and dark night skies, the commissioners wrote. The area is currently unzoned. The county issued a building permit for the project in March 2025 and does not have any other role in approving the project, Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said during the Jan. 13 meeting.  Missoula County officials are reminding residents that outdoor burning remains closed, despite the weather conditions. All outdoor burning seasons will open March 1. Burning restrictions consider fire danger as well as the impact on air quality, according to the Missoula County Fire Protection Association. Closing burning helps maintain healthy air in the area’s inversion-prone valleys throughout the winter. Those planning to burn debris this spring should cover piles now to reduce moisture and ensure an efficient and less smoky burn, according to the association. More information about Missoula County’s air quality program and outdoor burning permits is available online.  The Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America is holding a Minnesota Solidarity Rally at noon Friday outside the Russell Smith Federal Courthouse, 201 E. Broadway. The rally is to show solidarity with Minnesotans’ resistance to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and encourage collaboration among Montana unions, religious and civic groups, according to a press release. Minnesota organizers are calling for an economic blackout on Friday to protest the actions of federal immigration agents in the state, including the killing of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier this month.  Might be Fun  Missoula nonprofits Free Cycles and Home ReSource are holding The Bolts and Bikes: Home in Missoula Forever joint benefit concert Saturday to raise money for both organizations to pay off their mortgages.  The all-ages event will include performances from The Pettifoggers and The River Ramblers and food and drinks. The concert kicks off at 6 p.m. at Free Cycles, 732 S. First St. W. The proceeds will be split between the organizations.  Free Cycles, a nonprofit bicycle repair shop and event space, aims to pay off its property loan by July 1, 2026, to help free up funding for building upgrades, programming and staff, according to its website.  Home ReSource purchased its current site at the corner of Wyoming Street and Russell Street in 2015 and is working to pay off its mortgage before the interest rate increases in February, according to the nonprofit. Home ReSource runs a used home materials and fixtures store and operates several zero-waste and reuse progra The post First homes completed in Northside neighborhood development appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less