Missoula Residents Invited to Shape New Midtown Park

Missoula continues to evolve, and there is a big project that is taking place in Midtown Missoula. The area behind Southgate Mall is slated for development, which will include housing, commercial businesses, and a 1.3-acre park.

What the Midtown Redevelopment Includes  

This is where your voice can be heard. The city is looking for ideas and input about the park. The city will be hosting a Park Design Workshop on Wednesday, November 19, at Jefferson School, 1700 South Avenue from 5:15 p.m.-8:15 p.m.

How Missoulians Can Participate in Park Planning  

The workshop will include a light meal, and kids are encouraged to attend the event. Kids ages 4+ will have supervised playtime and a meal provided. The children can also work on a park design activity themselves. 

READ MORE: Light the Trail: Missoula’s Bitterroot Path Gets a Glow-Up

The city of Missoula purchased 13.5 acres of Southgate Crossing last winter and is working on developing this area and potentially connecting Brooks Street with South Avenue.  

I spoke with Gwen Hoppe, who was canvassing the area to inform homeowners and businesses in the neighborhood about the upcoming workshop and opportunity for input into what the park should include. Hoppe told me about a Facebook group called Save the Midtown Greenwayi that is informing the public on the plans for the area.  

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If you can’t make the meeting this week at Jefferson School, you can fill out a survey on the city of Missoula’s Engage Missoula website. The park isn’t the only thing that Missoulians can comment on. Engage Missoula offers information on multiple projects. The city is giving us the chance to let our voices be heard and get involved in the planning. We should take this opportunity to be a part of the process.