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 Good morning. In this edition, we hear why the YWCA is suspending an important program and have a look at a new affordable housing development in Midtown. Also, how you can help inform the next steps Missoula County takes to regulate data center development.  But first, a weather preview ☀️  Rain will usher in cooler temperatures this weekend, though it won’t stick around, according to the National Weather Service’s Missoula office. Friday will be rainy with a high near 50 degrees. Patchy fog Saturday and Sunday mornings will clear, with mostly sunny days and highs around 52 degrees. Overnight lows will drop below freezing.  Data center study describes impacts, recommends zoning The draft study of data center impacts that will inform the next steps Missoula County takes to regulate development of the centers is now available, and officials want your thoughts.  Releasing the 32-page study is the latest step in the county’s interim zoning process, which started in July when the county commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on data centers. State law requires the county to conduct a study to verify that an emergency exists and to determine the course of action to mitigate it.  The study assesses 13 broad categories of data center impacts on public health and the environment, including noise, water, heat, air and wildlife, Patrick Swart, a Missoula County planner, told me Thursday.  “First and foremost, the study found data centers can have real impacts on public health and safety and also the natural environment,” Swart said. “The conclusion is that the county should take those impacts seriously and address them to the greatest extent possible.”  The study also evaluated the legal context in which the county can regulate data centers and determined the state’s Right to Compute Act preserves local government’s regulatory authority.  The study recommends that the commissioners take the most protective action: comprehensive zoning designed to address the impacts of data centers, Swart said.  “The study found zoning can address data center impacts, but it can’t address everything,” he said. “Comprehensively addressing impact areas will require some action from state agencies as well.”  Many of the residents’ concerns about data centers, including impacts on utility rates and on water and air quality, are addressed through state agencies, Swart said. Potential county zoning is not outlined in the study but would be explored next if the county commissioners approve, he said.  Residents are invited to a staff presentation and QA about the study at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the Home Arts Building at the Missoula County Fairgrounds. The draft study is available online. Swart said that while people are welcome to comment, the event is not a public meeting and is intended to be a chance for staff to answer questions about the study. Public feedback will inform the final version of the study, he said.  “Folks should look at the study with a critical lens, and if they feel like we missed something or mischaracterized something, bring it to our attention,” Swart said.  Staff will also provide an overview of the draft to the Missoula Consolidated Land Use Board Wednesday, Nov. 4, and the Missoula County commissioners Thursday, Nov. 12. The boards will take public comment during those meetings. The county commissioners are expected to give staff direction on next steps during the Nov. 12 meeting, Swart said.   YWCA will temporarily suspend supervised kids’ visitation program  The YWCA Missoula plans to temporarily suspend its supervised visitation and exchange program early next month due to uncertainty about federal funding. Planet Kids provides a safe environment for child visitations and custody exchanges, often ordered by the court. The program has historically been funded by a Justice for Families federal grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, according to the YWCA. The most recent three-year $700,000 grant ended Sept. 30. The organization applied for a $650,000 three-year grant and expected a funding decision on Sept. 29. But YWCA has not received a decision or a revised timeline, according to a press release. The temporary closure will begin Nov. 7.   “As difficult as this decision is, we cannot responsibly continue operating the program without confirmation that funding will be available to support the staffing and resources required to provide these services safely,” said Jen Euell, YWCA Missoula executive director, in the press release.  The organization has received the three-year grant for the past two cycles and previously funded the program through various federal grants and other sources, said Becky Margolis, the YWCA’s communications manager.   The YWCA does not plan to permanently end the program. Margolis said the three staff members working at Planet Kids will not be laid off as they have other roles at the YWCA. If funding is awarded, the organization will recruit staff and restore services as quickly as possible, according to the press release. A list of alternative visitation and exchange resources is available online.  Photo Op 📸 Missoula needs more housing, especially affordable housing. But building can be a challenge, particularly in this tough building environment, where the gap between construction costs and what buyers can afford remains enormous, said Brittany Palmer, executive director of Front Step Community Land Trust, earlier this week.  Looking for new ways to approach development, Front Step partnered with Kind Homes Cooperative to build a new affordable housing project in Midtown, where the organizations celebrated the groundbreaking Wednesday.  Front Step Community Land Trust, Kind Homes Cooperative and Missoula Redevelopment Agency members pose for a photo at the site of the Serviceberry Grove Homes project on Livingston Avenue in Missoula on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. Credit: Katie Fairbanks/MTFP The project, called Serviceberry Grove Homes, includes four two-bedroom condos on a community land trust for households earning up to 120% of the area median income, which is $103,920 for a family of two. The building will include increased insulation and be fully electric and ready for solar installation.  Matt Thome with JT Architecture told me affordable housing and high-performance buildings don’t typically cross paths, but this project focused on incorporating environmentally conscious features in a budget-friendly way.  “People with affordable housing often pay the highest energy bills,” he said. “But with this, that’s not the case.”  A rendering of the Serviceberry Grove Homes project, which will include four community land trust condos on Livingston Avenue in Missoula. Credit: Courtesy of JT Architecture and Front Step Community Land Trust The project is Kind Homes Cooperative’s first, co-owner Chris Hallberg told me. Hallberg, a doctor, and three local builders, Will Genadek, Andy Erickson and Matt Cvitkovich, started the cooperative earlier this year with a focus on high-quality affordable housing.   “From my time working with patients, I hear about the challenge of housing affordability, people deciding if they’re going to pay the rent or for their medication,” he said. “It makes it harder for people to live healthy lives.”  Erickson said Wednesday that he hopes the project will serve as a roadmap for other developers.  The project received $278,800 in workforce housing tax increment financing from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency, as well as $90,430 to install a fire hydrant and other improvements to the right-of-way.  Melanie Brock, an MRA board member, said the project is the first in Midtown to use the workforce housing program, which can help fund construction of housing for people earning 60% to 140% of the area median income.  “This is a neighborhood where only 38% of people who live here own their homes, so they are very susceptible to displacement when market forces force them out,” she said. “The chance to have permanently affordable homeownership opportunities is a huge win.”  Public Notice 🧐  City domestic violence forum continues Wednesday ℹ️ The Missoula City Council is holding the two-day forum to provide education, increase awareness and give policymakers more information on domestic violence. Advocates, researchers and other experts will present on several aspects of domestic violence, including the survivor experience, impacts to families, accessing services, law enforcement response and how cases move through the court system. The first presentation was Wednesday, Oct. 21, and the second presentation is next week.  🗓️ Wednesday, Oct. 28 ⏰ 8:55 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 📍 Missoula City Council Chambers, 140 W. Pine, or online  🔗 The video recording of the first meeting is available online, as well as the agenda for next week’s meeting.  Voters invited to tour election center  ℹ️ The Missoula Elections Office will hold several tours in October and November to allow voters to learn more about the election process. Visitors can view equipment testing, ballot processing, ballot tabulation, the provisional ballot count, the post-election audit and the election canvass. Bradley Seaman, the Missoula elections administrator, said the tours allow people to feel more confident in the election process.  🔗 The full schedule of the tours is available online.  Work along South Avenue may cause traffic delays  ℹ️ Missoula Public Works crews will conduct utility investigation work along South Avenue for the South Avenue Safe Streets for All project. Drivers may encounter temporary lane closures, traffic flaggers and minor delays.  🗓️ Tuesday, Oct. 27, and Wednesday, Oct. 28 📍 South Avenue near Clements Road and along the street  City holding meeting about River Road improvements  ℹ️ The first phase of the project will add sidewalk or a shared-use path, curb and gutter, bike lanes and boulevard trees to the stretch of River Road between Russell Street and Bondurant Court. It will also include paving improvements and a water main extension. The public is invited to an open house to learn more about the project and share feedback on design concepts.  🗓️ Wednesday, Oct. 28 ⏰ 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  📍 Garden City Harvest, 1657 River Rd.    🔗 More information on the project is available on the city’s website.  Following Up ↩️ The Franklin Crossing affordable housing project received a key funding source this week when the Montana Board of Housing approved its request for $8.5 million in low-income housing tax credits.  The city, the Missoula Housing Authority and local developer United Housing Partners announced the project in March and have been working to secure the funding needed to move it forward.  The project includes 211 income-restricted apartments for residents making 30% to 70% of Missoula’s area median income and 33 market-rate townhomes. For a three-person household, 30% to 70% of area median income is about $29,220 to $68,180. The 42 units for those making 30% of the area median income will be supported with HUD project-based vouchers secured by the housing authority, said Tyson O’Connell, founder of United Housing Partners.   Mayor Andrea Davis, two city council members and representatives from the Missoula Economic Partnership and the Missoula Redevelopment Agency board spoke in support of the project during the Tuesday meeting.  “As the affordable housing crisis hit Montana significantly, families have more difficulty renting single-family homes, so larger apartments are necessary to meet growing demands,” Davis told the board. “The diverse incomes met through this project and the diverse home types really hit on a number of goals.”  When voting, several board members highlighted the project’s number of units, permanent affordability and community collaboration.  The city will donate about 5.7 acres of the 8-acre former Johnson Street shelter site for the low-income housing project, and United Housing Partners will buy the remaining land for the townhomes. The Missoula Redevelopment Agency also set aside $9.7 million of tax increment financing for the project, which will go before the MRA board and city council for final approval. Those meetings will likely take place in early winter, if all remains on schedule, said Michael Hicks, the MRA project manager, in an email.  The developer plans to break ground next summer, and construction will take an estimated 23 months, O’Connell told the Board of Housing.  Local Lineup 🚶 🏃 Lace up your running shoes and strap on your Halloween costumes for the Skeleton Skedaddle 5K and Kids Pumpkin Run Sunday, Oct. 25, at Silver Park. The free kids’ run starts at 10 a.m. for children ages 10 and under. Every finisher takes home a pumpkin. The 5K starts at 10:25 a.m. and is free for participants ages 13 and younger. Proceeds from the run benefit the University of Montana’s Physical Therapy Student Association. More information about the event and the registration link are available online.  The post County taking questions, comments on data center study appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less