The city planning board voted April 22 to unanimously recommend annexation and zoning for a proposed single family housing development on the east side of the city.

Upslope Development is requesting annexation of 27.03 acres east of the intersection of Central Avenue and 46th Street to create Meadowview Village.

The developer is requesting planned unit development zoning to allow for smaller lot sizes in the hopes of providing “attainable, entry-level housing” for purchase.

The proposed development includes a total of 163 lots, ranging from 1,200 to 5,881 square feet, with dedicated green spaces, plus a community center, indoor sports court and a playground.

As proposed, the lots would be available for purchase and a buyer can then choose a modular home that’s built offsite and placed on a permanent foundation.

Internal roads and alleyways will be privately maintained by the homeowners association, lessening strain on city resources.

The development will have two access points along 46th Street and be developed in 10 phases, with the first lots closest to 46 Street plus the stormwater pond. Phase three includes the large common areas, community center and playground, according to the city staff report.

Under city code, a planned unit development is a special type of zoning district that allows for a mix of uses and each has its own set of development standards that are documented in the approval.

For this development, Upslope stated in their application that the deviations from normal code are to be able to provide attainable housing.

The deviations they’re seeking is from standard lot sizes and setbacks, land uses and landscaping requirements and will include an underlying R-3 single family high density zoning.

City staff is recommending approval of the annexation and zoning. The requests next go to the City Commission.

The developer will improve the roadway and curbing along 46th Street adjacent to the development, plus install sidewalks, boulevard landscaping and an ADA compliant ramp and crossing at the northeast corner of the intersection of Central and 46th.

The developer will also provide a pedestrian path to Chief Joseph Elementary School.

Great Falls Public Schools provided the city a letter stating it can absorb the estimated students from the development.

Upslope will be required to extend a looped eight-inch public water main through the development and connect to the existing water mains, plus add fire hydrants. The developer will also provide sanitary sewer lines.

The project didn’t require a full traffic study, but city staff conducted an internal traffic analysis.

The project, at full buildout, is expected to generate about 1,161 weekday trips and 106 afternoon peak-hour trips, according to the staff report.

The internal staff analysis found that the existing street network can handle the projected traffic increase, but pedestrian and bicycle facilities are insufficient, so the developer will be required to construct the missing sidewalk segments along 46th Street and provide the ADA-compliant crossing on Central.

Staff has also recommended that 46th Street be widened to allow for 5 to 6-foot bike lanes in both directions. 

The project was presented during the March 27 Neighborhood Council 4 meeting, during which the council voted to support the project.

Since the area is already served by fire and police and internal roads, alleys and open spaces will be privately maintained, it will have less burned on city resources, according to the staff report.

“The neighborhood’s compact, efficient design makes full use of existing infrastructure, allowing the city to add new housing without taking on disproportionate costs. This annexation will introduce a significant number of attainable single-family homes, helping meet local housing needs while expanding the city’s tax base in a way that is efficient, incremental, and financially resilient,” according to the city staff report.

Keith Miller, an owner of Upslope, said that it’s “very challenging for people to afford housing,” and their goal with the development it to provide attainable homes for local buyers.

“More housing is needed and the people of Great Falls deserve an opportunity to own their own home,” Miller said during the April 22 planning board meeting.

He said the current property taxes on the parcel is $117 annually and by full build out, he said they estimated the property owners within the development will pay a collective $500,000 annually.

The majority of the houses within the development will be three-bedroom with two-bath, up to 1,620-square feet, but there will be a variety of sizes available and buyers get to choose their finishes within basic floor plans.

Most of the homes will front a common green space, Miller said, which will be a place to relax, congregate and build community.

The project will not connect through into 50th Street South.

Spencer Woith, the engineer on the project, said that the private roadways will take the burden off the city and if there were more throughways, that would put those roads into city ownership and maintenance.

Woith said that a home buyer could get the same mortgage for these proposed homes as they could a traditional stick built home.

Christian Leinhauser of the Great Falls Development Alliance said that the project tackles some of the toughest development challenges in the community, including difficult soils and housing costs. GFDA supports the project.

Wade Lawrence of the Great Falls Church of Christ, which is the current landowner, said they had contracted to sell the property to Upslope, contingent on city approval for annexation and zoning.

Katie Hanning of the Great Falls Homebuilders Association said that even though the project won’t benefit their members, it “will meet the community needs, we think, for affordable housing.”

Sherrie Arey, NeighborWorks Great Falls director, said that there’s old housing stock in Great Falls, with few homes available and so people aren’t moving within housing sizes or price points so prospective homebuyers can’t find a home.

The proposed Upslope development is a different style and could ramp up quickly.

“We believe this one really fits into our community,” Arey said.

Randy Gray, a former city commissioner and area property owner, said that he supports the project.

“It’s about time that this community and this nation have come to this solution for the housing shortage,” Gray said, and that he believed the project would be a “tremendous addition” to the city, particularly on the east side.

An area property owner said he thought the land is a swamp and so the project wouldn’t work in that area.

Staff said they’d considered the stormwater and the project included a stormwater detention pond that will serve the development and also some regional stormwater, including city right of way. The pond will be dedicated to the city and maintained by the city as a regional stormwater facility, Lonnie Hill, deputy planning director said.

Each building will also need permits with inspections on the foundations and utilities, just like any other house built in the city, Woith said.