1/27/2025
“Great Falls This Week” is reported and written by Matt Hudson. Send your news and tips to [email protected].
Developer says city, ‘best-kept secret in Montana,’ is due for growth
Early plans for a mixed-use development on Great Falls’ east side call for large residential and commercial centers and would add 100 acres to the city.
Called The Falls, the total buildout could include more than 1,000 housing units and more than 600,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, offices and hotels.
Developer Mitchell Development and Investments has held the land since the ‘60s, according to Ted Mitchell, head of the firm. He told Montana Free Press that it’s the beginning of a potentially 20-year development that will begin in late 2026 with a hotel.
“Great Falls is the best-kept secret in Montana,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell has experience in large, long-term developments. The firm’s portfolio includes the 72-acre Bozeman Gateway, which began in 2005 and has grown into a bustling commercial area.
Mitchell said that he sees precursors for a growth spurt for Great Falls that would foster the development. He pointed to the expansion of Montana Renewables, the opening of Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and the West Bank corridor development as positive signs. The eastside Walmart has remained busy and has added food vendors to the space. And finally, the Department of Defense’s Sentinel missile upgrade project is expected to bring people and activity to the area.
All of this supports his vision that Bozeman Gateway can be replicated in the Electric City, which has a relatively low cost of living and draws visitors from across northcentral Montana and beyond.
“You look at the map, Great Fallis centrally located,” he said. “There’s nothing servicing the central part of this state. The trade area that we have is huge. It goes clear to Canada and beyond.”
Expanding Great Falls’ east end has been eyed by developers in the past. KYSO Corporation sued the city in 2019 after commissioners denied the developer’s Wheat Ridge residential subdivision plans. The case was dismissed in favor of the city.
The subdivision denial was based on concerns over stormwater management and public safety access, among other reasons. But the concerns over impacts to Malmstrom and the potential return of a flight mission clouded the discussion, especially in public comments.
The base has various buffer zones that extend beyond its borders and are meant to support safe runway operations. They include a “clear zone” that extends 3,000 feet past the runway and accident potential zones that extend another 12,000 feet. A 2012 joint land use study between Malmstrom, Great Falls and Cascade County mapped out these zones and suggested limited development in those areas. The KYSO development fell within these zones.
Mitchell’s development is less likely to receive pushback due to Malmstrom’s operations. One reason is that it’s in a different location. The KYSO development was intended to go next to Walmart on the south side of 10th Avenue South. Mitchell’s development is proposed north of the road, out of Malmstrom’s runway zones.
“That location is not going to be problematic to the accident potential zone,” said Cascade County Commissioner Joe Briggs, who sat on the 2012 land-use study committee. “The one thing that may come into play, because of the helicopters, there is a height limitation on the base. That’s still valid.”
Briggs pointed to county zoning regulations that limit building heights to 150 feet in the proposed development area to accommodate helicopter operations. The city doesn’t have such a regulation, so if the development is annexed into Great Falls as planned, part of the discussion will be how that building restriction may be incorporated, if at all.
And the return of a flight mission to Malmstrom that would require full use of the runway is less likely with the Sentinel missile upgrade becoming the top focus. Malmstrom public affairs told MTFP that while the plans are very preliminary, the base doesn’t currently foresee an impact on military operations.
Mitchell said that he’s less than a month from submitting initial development applications to the city, which will need to annex the land as part of the process. It’s early in what could be a long-term development that will involve the cooperation of Great Falls, Cascade County and Malmstrom.
“We have to find the answer to how everybody wins, which is extremely hard,” said Brock Cherry, director of planning and community development for Great Falls.
Mitchell, whose family business began decades ago in Great Falls with the development of the Holiday Village Mall, said he’s bullish on his home base.
“We’re on the cusp of Great Falls 2.0,” he said.
Training Grounds
On the 9.5-acre training grounds for Great Falls Fire Rescue, only the classroom and a recently donated railcar are usable.
The most prominent structure at the training center, the tower, became unsafe for fire and high-rise training in 2019. Last fall, the remaining roof props on the tower failed, according to GFFR Chief Jeremy Jones, who addressed city commissioners on Jan. 21. He said that much of the training firefighters need can’t be done in a classroom.
“The inability to fund the TC [training center] has led to unsafe conditions for training, personnel, equipment and our apparatus,” Jones said. “We’ve had to get very creative in trying to train in real-world scenarios, and this has come at a cost.”
Jones said his biggest concern was the inability to train new firefighters.
The department has pursued other options, including grants, community partnerships and assistance from the Montana Legislature. He introduced a proposal to raise $2.5 million in non-voted general obligation bonds to reconstruct the training center. Of particular focus would be the demolition and rebuilding of the training tower.
Jones warned of costs to area homeowners’ insurance premiums without a training center. The Insurance Services Office (ISO) audits public agencies to inform insurance risks, and Jones said the department is up for review in 2026. The ISO rating system incorporates points for adequate training centers.
“If we can’t train, we’re going to lose those points,” he said.
Jones said ISO informed him that an average increase in insurance premiums due to this kind of point deduction could be around 10%.
He also noted that the department did receive nearly $5 million in COVID aid through the American Rescue Plan Act, but those funds covered higher priority repairs across fire stations and equipment needs.
By state statute, cities like Great Falls are able to approve general obligation bonds without going to a vote. The amount is limited based on a city’s budget and current debt, and the move would still require public hearings and the city commission’s approval. Staff estimated the debt service costs to be around $255,000 annually for 15 years. The debt could potentially be paid off at once through a future voter-approved levy or bond issuance.
The commission’s discussion was mixed. Commissioner Joe McKenney said that while he supports funding training center improvements, the city should pause and examine options with the potential for another public safety levy in the coming years.
Mayor Cory Reeves called for more immediate action on non-voted bonds and to find a way to cover the annual debt service.
“We need to do the right thing for the right reasons and that’s to protect our fire personnel and get the proper training,” he said.
Commissioners Shannon Wilson, Rick Tryon and Susan Wolff agreed to take a look at Jones’ bond proposal. City staff are working on scenarios and options to move forward.
Photo Op
On Jan. 21, the Great Falls Police Department held a swearing-in ceremony for its newest officers. From left to right in the front row are Jasmine Roybal (badge 392), Nicholas Bowley (badge 393) and Emily Dalton (badge 394). They will be sent to the Montana Law Enforcement Academy for training.
The department still has four vacancies for sworn officers, according to Chief Jeff Newton.
Calling all photographers: Submit a photo for Great Falls This Week to [email protected].
5 Things to Know in Great Falls
On Jan. 22, the Great Falls Police Department conducted compliance checks at 34 businesses that sell alcohol. Volunteers who were 19 or 20 years old attempted to buy alcohol and were instructed to show ID when asked. Six businesses failed compliance checks: northwest Albertsons (a second violation), Flamingo, Heritage Inn/Max Casino, Holiday West Casino, Keith’s Country Store and Load and Jug on First Avenue North.
A section of River’s Edge Trail will be closed starting Jan. 27 for riverbank stabilization work. The section along the north side of the Missouri River from Fourth Street Northeast to the 10th Street Bridge (next to the city’s wastewater treatment plant) will be closed until March 7.
An error with city parking software provider Passport caused nearly 2,000 people to mistakenly receive warning letters or emails after receiving a courtesy parking violation that doesn’t need to be paid. The letters warned that vehicles would receive a boot without payment, but city staff said this was an error in the system. Affected vehicle owners should receive clarifying letters or emails soon.
The city of Great Falls has a survey open for submissions related to its growth policy project. The survey is intended to gather residents’ opinions and ideas related to the future of the city, according to a press release. Participants of the survey will be eligible for gift card prizes. The survey is available here. Community workshops begin Jan. 27. The schedule can be viewed in last week’s newsletter.
The Great Falls Public Library will host live performances of York: The Untold Story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition on Feb. 12. The event features Hasan Davis, an acclaimed living history performer. He