Construction on a new city park in the Northside neighborhood could start next year after Missoula City Council gave initial approval Wednesday for a design contract to finalize the features of the public space.
The city is eyeing a new, larger park to keep up with growth in the neighborhood, where hundreds of new housing units have been built in the last five years.
The council unanimously approved a $383,162 contract with GGLO engineering and IMEG consultants to finalize a design for the 5.4-acre park and other improvements to Scott Street. A final vote is set for Oct. 20.
“The City is replacing White Pine Park to provide a park that is larger, more accessible, with full amenities, and which better distributes park space within a 10-minute walk of residents,” city staff wrote in the proposal. “Additional park space and improved pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular circulation was identified in and aligns with the adopted North Reserve Scott Street Urban Renewal District (URD) Plans and neighborhood goals for walkability and services.”
The city purchased the 5.4-acre parcel from the Resurrection Cemetery Association in 2024 for $2 million using city open space bond funds and Tax Increment Financing from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department led a master planning effort this spring with the Northside-Westside Neighborhood Council and finalized a rough design in July.
The design agreement calls for GGLO and IMEG to create a final design that the city can build.
The money for the park portion design contract comes from private donations and open space bond funding, while the street improvements will be paid with impact fees, gas taxes and other assessments, according to city documents.
The design will include connector trails, a dog park, multiple recreation fields, picnic areas, a water splash pad and a central playground, among other features listed in the master plan.
Meanwhile, GGLO and IMEG will also finalize the design of several improvements to Scott Street, like a roundabout at Scott and Turner streets and new boulevards in the area.
GGLO is also working with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency to create a redevelopment plan for the North MRL Triangle in the Missoula Midtown neighborhood, which formerly housed the Johnson Street Shelter.
City officials said it makes the most logical sense to combine the two projects to save money.
Construction costs for the new park is estimated at $2.4 million, while the street improvements is estimated at $1.2 million. Construction is slated to begin in 2026 and end in 2027, according to city documents.
To pay for the park construction, city officials plan to sell the existing White Pine Park property to the south, which requires city council approval.
The council will not meet next Monday in observance of Indigenous Peoples Day and is next scheduled to convene on Oct. 20.
Griffen Smith is the local government reporter for the Missoulian.
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