MISSOULA — The Riverfront Triangle, a 1.99-acre property off Orange and Front Streets, has been on the minds of the City of Missoula for decades.
The area was deemed blighted in 2007 and an Urban Renewal District was established in 2008. Over the years, there have been many attempts to develop the property, but none have come to fruition.
“Very important that we activate these spaces that are meant for redevelopment and get them back into the tax rolls,” Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis said.
“Had COVID not happened, I think we would have a hotel and a performance venue here today. But it did, and we don’t. This is the best shot that we’ve seen in a long, long time to get this done,” Missoula Redevelopment Agency director Ellen Buchanan added.
On Thursday morning, the City announced that it is finalizing a $4 million development deal for the area with Whitefish-based Averill Hospitality.
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Riverfront Triangle Press Conference
A few of Averill Hospitality’s properties include the Lodge at Whitefish Lake, the Firebrand Hotel, as well as operating Missoula’s DoubleTree by Hilton – Edgewater.
MTN News
Riverfront Triangle property at intersection of Orange & Front Street in downtown Missoula.
The City states in a release that Averill is dedicated to “delivering high-quality, Montana-inspired experiences. Their approach emphasizes community engagement, attention to place-based design, and exceptional guest service. Averill is the successor developer from the original Fox Hotel request for proposals.”
The proposed Riverfront Triangle mixed-use development includes an approximately 180-room hotel, around 15,000 square foot conference and event space, a new parking facility, a riverfront public plaza, and potentially residential condominiums.
“There’s a wonderful ratio between dollars spent in hotel rooms to dollars spent in the community,” Averill Hospitality owner and operator Brian Averill told MTN.
MTN News
Riverfront Triangle property at intersection of Orange & Front Street in downtown Missoula.
Both the Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) and the City believe this project will create progress toward some goals. Those include increasing trail connectivity along the Clark Fork River and across major intersections, land sale proceeds, along with a developer tax donation, will support the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, among other community-focused improvements.
“Just about $7 million will go into the Affordable Housing Trust fund for the City of Missoula. And part of that will come from 1% of the hotel sales over a period of time, and part of that will come from the sale of the land,” Averill said.
“It will come in over time, but what that does mean is that we can then deploy those funds and we help build more rental homes or more homes for purchase that are affordable for Missoulians,” Davis noted.
The City of Missoula hopes to utilize the Riverfront Triangle as the key connection piece to expand downtown.
“The vibrancy of downtown is now going to hop over Orange Street, and it is going to carry all the way down front to Broadway,” Davis said.
That includes shifting Main and Front Streets’ traffic patterns sometime in the next few years.
“This will be the main intersection into turning the couplet, the one-way couplet, into two-way streets,” Buchanan shared.
The deal is still being finalized and the potential developers say, if approved, it would be over a year until groundbreaking.
Next steps timeline:
July 7th: MRA Board of Directors
July 16th: City Council Committee
July 21st: Full City Council Approval
Once the City Council approves the project, design work will begin for the next year. Construction is expected to start sometime in 2027.
