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10/30/2025
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Project plan includes condos, hotel, rooftop bar and restaurant
A developer this week unveiled updated plans for the former Missoulian building at the corner of Higgins Avenue and South Fourth Street downtown after years of planning and “ups and downs.”
The Higgins Waterfront project will include 80 condos and townhomes, a 155-room hotel with a rooftop bar and restaurant, a ground-level restaurant and other local shops and dining, said Cole Bergquist, the site’s developer. The project will offer something “new and cool” to an underutilized site, he said.
“Not only will it look good as a gateway to downtown, but it’s going to be a new spot to create memories,” Bergquist told Montana Free Press.
Bergquist and his former partners purchased the property in 2021 and announced development plans in 2022 that included condos, townhomes and apartments, along with commercial spaces, the Missoulian reported at the time.
Hawkins, a Boise-based development group, is partnering with Bergquist on the project after he removed former business partners Aaron and Jadon Wagner from the deal. Last year, Aaron Wagner was indicted by a federal grand jury on felony counts of wire fraud and money laundering and pleaded not guilty in May, the Missoulian reported. Bergquist said he negotiated with the Department of Justice, multiple banks and investors to switch the project’s partners.
“It was a super heavy lift, and something my team has really been celebrating,” he said. “Finding new partners, bringing them in and getting the buyout approved is really breathing new life into this project.”
The project has undergone many different design concepts to keep it “efficient and appealing,” Bergquist said. The new plan removed apartments and added a hotel, which lends itself better to including the rooftop bar and restaurant with river views, he said. The project fits with the city’s Downtown Master Plan, which calls for riverfront dining and residential units on the site, Bergquist said.
Bergquist said he learned a lot from building the Reed Condos, located across Fourth Street from the Higgins Waterfront site, a few years ago. The complex comprises 32 luxury units and eight income-restricted condos. The new development will not include affordable units, he said.
The new development will include larger penthouse condos and two-story townhomes with their own entrances, Bergquist said. Many buyers for the Reed condos were empty-nesters looking to downsize, but some of those interested in the condos weren’t ready for something that small, he said.
The project has received interest from investors and hotel brands, Bergquist said. The first round of investments is complete, and an upcoming second round will fund actual construction, he said.
If design and permitting go smoothly, the goal is to break ground in 2026 before the snow flies, Bergquist said. The project has received a lot of interest, with the majority of people excited to see something new in that location, he said.
“I think it’s the best site in Montana for development, and the best site in Missoula for someone to live or develop on,” Bergquist said. “And the proof is all the positive feedback we’re getting.”
Missoula Food Bank prepares for increase in demand as shutdown hits SNAP funding
The Missoula Food Bank and Community Center is preparing for an anticipated increase in demand on Monday, when thousands may be cut off from federal food assistance.
Nearly 8,000 Missoulians and 77,000 Montanans could lose access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefits in November. The U.S. Department of Agriculture directed states to suspend issuing benefits due to the federal government shutdown.
The Missoula Food Bank posted on its Facebook page that it is ready to take action if SNAP benefits are not issued and asked for donations of money and food, as well as volunteers to help. The food bank’s website includes a list of most most-needed food items and donation instructions. The organization also requested donations of clean, 12-17-inch cardboard boxes.
“We are prepared to serve,” a food bank Facebook post said. “We are ready to show up. And with your support, we will continue to ensure that every neighbor who comes through our door gets the food they need.”
The Missoula County commissioners on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Greg Gianforte asking him to reconsider his decision not to use state contingency funds to pay for SNAP during the shutdown. In a statement to media outlets, Gianforte’s office said the state cannot fund the federal program without promises for reimbursement.
“This moment calls for decisive leadership to protect Montana families from hunger,” the commissioners wrote. “Ensuring uninterrupted SNAP benefits is a matter of economic stability and responsible governance.”
The commissioners also sent letters to Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sens. Tim Sheehy and Steve Daines, urging them to work with the USDA and congressional leaders to use federal contingency funds to pay November SNAP benefits.
Public Notice
The city of Missoula is seeking feedback on the draft of its new unified development code and updated design manual released this week.
The unified development code encompasses zoning, subdivision, public works and parks-related regulations previously separated in different documents that sometimes conflicted with each other, according to the city’s webpage on the project. The goal of the unified code is to create a “one-stop shop” for development regulations, clarify requirements and align them with each other.
The updated Standards and Specifications Manual includes administrative rules, design standards and details, and clarifies how projects can meet code requirements.
The city released a draft zoning map and framework earlier this month. The proposal expands the areas where apartments are allowed, decreases parking requirements, and allows small-scale commercial development in all residential areas, incorporating new state laws. The updates to the code follow the adoption of the Our Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan, which will guide the city’s growth and development over the next 20 years.
The city is hosting an open house on the proposed development code and manual from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at the Missoula Public Library’s fourth floor. Food and kids’ activities will be provided. The city will close the public review period of the code updates Nov. 12. Public comments will still be accepted during Planning Board and City Council meetings in November and December.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
Providence St. Patrick Hospital’s security officers will use Tasers and body cameras when needed, the Catholic nonprofit health system announced Wednesday. The Missoula hospital and St. Joseph Medical Center in Polson are weapons-free campuses, but have seen an increase in workplace violence, similar to other Providence sites nationwide, according to a Providence Montana press release. The security officers are trained in de-escalation techniques, and Tasers will help them defend themselves and others during a “violent encounter,” Dean Chrestenson, security manager for Providence Montana, said in a statement. Providence security officers will begin wearing body cameras in November. The cameras, which have privacy features, will be worn on the chest and only activated when needed, according to Providence. A metal detector was installed at St. Patrick Hospital’s emergency department public entrance in September. Screening will be similar to an airport or government building, and patients with a health emergency will be screened once they are stable, according to Providence.
Ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, for the municipal general election. The all-mail election includes races for the Missoula mayor, all city council wards, three municipal judges and a countywide infrastructure levy. Voters outside city limits will only have the mill levy on their ballots. It’s too late to return ballots by mail, according to the Missoula County Elections Office. Ahead of Election Day, voters can turn in their ballots at the elections office on Russell Street between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The outdoor ballot drop box at the office is not available during this election. From 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, three drive-thru ballot drop locations will be available, as well as four indoor locations, listed online. Residents can register to vote at the elections office until noon on Monday and again on Tuesday. Information on ID requirements is available online. Elections staff are reminding voters to include their birth year on the signature envelope, as required by a new state law.
Updated preliminary floodplain maps for Missoula County are now available. The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency released the maps for the Clark Fork River, Bitterroot River and Rock Creek in late August. FEMA will open a comment and appeal period sometime in 2026, likely late spring or summer at the earliest, said Matt Heimel, the county’s floodplain administrator. FEMA may not finalize the maps until mid-to-late-2027, he said. The county will post updates on its Missoula County Voice website. In cases where a property is newly included in the floodplain, lenders may require homeowners with mortgages to have flood insurance. Residents are encouraged to check with their lender or insurance agent. More information is available at floodsmart.gov. The preliminary maps are now featured on the county’s Property Information System, and staff recorded a video tutorial on how to access and interpret the maps. Property owners can also contact the Missoula County Floodplain Administration Program at 406-258-4657 or [email protected] for personalized information.
Mayor Andrea Davis appointed Marina Yoshioka as the city’s new Parks and Recreation director. Yoshioka was most recently the chief of operations at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and was previously a seasonal park ranger, state park manager and Region 3 supervisor for Southwest Montana, according to a city press release. Yoshioka has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Montana and a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia. If confirmed by the Missoula City Council, Yoshioka will start on Jan. 5. The city’s longtime Parks and Recreation Director Donna Gaukler will retire on Nov. 12.
The Missoula County commissioners Oct. 23 created a new advisory committee to oversee its targeted economic development districts. The districts are “infrastructure-deficient” areas where tax increment revenue is set aside for public infrastructure projects in the area. The Missoula Jurisdictional Advisory Committee will include representatives from the five school districts — Bonner, DeSemet, Hellgate, Frenchtown and Missoula County public schools — that overlap the county’s TEDDs, as required by a new state law. The committee will also include representatives from the county, Missoula Rural Fire, Frenchtown Fire and the Missoula Urban Transportation District. The county’s Missoula Development Authority board currently oversees tax increment financing districts. The board and the new committee will both make recommendations on TEDD decisions to the county commissioners.
Might be Fun
The Confluence Center is holding Dia de Los Muertos events this weekend at 119 W. Main St. From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, community members can bring 5×7 or smaller photos, memorabilia and other offerings to place on the community altar. Music starts at 3 p.m., and people are encouraged to gather, share memories and enjoy the lively atmosphere. The event from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday includes traditional ceremonies and altar viewing, music, a group art exhibit, face painting, kids’ activities, the showing of the movie Coco at 3 p.m., and concludes with a communal reflection and honoring of those who have passed. Traditional Mexican food and drinks will be available for purchase both nights.
Missoula’s Annual Festival of the Dead will culminate in a procession through downtown on Sunday. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. on the north end of Higgins Avenue near the XXXXs with a welcoming ceremony by the SnYelMn Salish drumming group. The parade kicks off at 6 p.m. and concludes in Caras Park, where music, art and performances will be featured.