Missoula planners promote neighborhood-oriented growth, Brooks corridor upgrades and Highway 200 improvements

Erin Wilson, a transportation planner, told listeners the county is exploring neighborhood-centered development—often called "15-minute" neighborhoods—to reduce long car trips by placing everyday services closer to where people live. Host Juanita Vero introduced the conversation as a continuation of a prior episode with Wilson on local transportation planning.

Wilson said the idea is not to forbid driving but to give people more short-distance options. "You can call it a 15 minute city. You can call it whatever you want," she said, explaining the concept means having groceries, schools and short jobs within walking, biking or short driving distance of homes. She contrasted that with decades of single-use zoning that pushed services far apart and increased vehicle trips.

The discussion turned to concrete planning efforts. Wilson described the Transform Brooks master plan for the Midtown area around Southgate Mall, the fairgrounds and Brooks (Brooks Street). She said Brooks connects Highway 93 to downtown but also bisects Midtown and is difficult and sometimes dangerous to cross. "We actually just had another pedestrian fatality on Brooks, just a couple days ago," Wilson said, framing pedestrian safety as a driver of the project.

Wilson said the Brooks planning effort began in earnest about three to four months earlier after receiving a federal grant and that planners hope to wrap the effort up "by the end of the year or 2024." She described goals including creating a transit spine into downtown, improving crossings and left-turns, and making Brooks more permeable to pedestrians and transit users.

East Missoula and Highway 200 also drew detailed attention. Wilson characterized Highway 200 through East Missoula as a corridor lacking sidewalks, curbs and clear intersection definition and said planners are proposing a main-street approach with sidewalks, street trees, turn lanes, lighting and intersection fixes. She said project teams wrote a grant application for about $30,000,000 and expected to hear funding news within the next month.

On parking and lane changes, Wilson emphasized an incremental approach rather than sudden removal of parking. She said planners aim to expand modal choices so a modest share of trips shift to walking, biking or transit, which in turn eases congestion for drivers who still need to use cars. To illustrate broader land-use effects she recommended Henry Grabars Paved Paradise, noting research cited in the conversation that cars are parked roughly 95 percent of the time.

Wilson also raised winter maintenance and accessibility as cross-cutting issues, recounting an example of a person using a walker stalled at a curb ramp piled with snow. She said some commuter trails are plowed early and see sustained winter use, and argued that well-maintained sidewalks and curb ramps are essential for equitable access across modes.

Listeners seeking to weigh in were pointed to the long-range transportation plan's engagement channels: an upcoming project website, in-person and virtual events, and online comment options through Missoula County Voice and the city's Engage Missoula platform. Wilson recommended updates at missoulampo.com.

The episode closed with contact information for Missoula County Communications (communications@missoulacounty.us) and a reminder of production support from Missoula Community Access Television (MCAT).