GREAT FALLS — Where Central Avenue meets 46th Street South, there is a field. But where some see nothing, Upslope Group co-founder Keith Miller sees opportunity: Meadowview Village.
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Miller said, “Our mission is to help working families, first-time buyers, and local residents become homeowners by offering thoughtfully designed homes, built with quality and dignity at prices below the Great Falls market for new homes.”
Upslope is proposing Meadowview Village, a 27.03 acre housing development with 163 single-family lots to purchase.
The proposed development would be served with a single loop roadway with private alleys. The alleys would be 20 feet wide, and the main roadway a standard city local roadway width with a sidewalk and parking on one side.
Miller said, “This is not a lot-rent type of community where you're paying lot rent every month, which can go up over time. That's not our model. We want to offer true land and home ownership.”
The project offers more than just modular homes, as it is looking to promote community connection as well.
Miller said, “Meadowview Village is going to have two indoor pickleball courts, a clubhouse with a fitness area, green space in front of every home, as well as a dog park to create opportunities for connection and play.”
Community response has been positive, as it was supported unanimously by both Neighborhood Council Four and the Great Falls Planning Advisory Board and Zoning Commission.
Tory Mills, on the Planning Advisory Board/Zoning Commission, said, “I think this is a great addition for an unused lot, so I’m excited to see something like this. And we definitely have a need in Great Falls for these types of housing developments.”
Great Falls Public Schools’ Director of Business Operations Brian Patrick also commented on the development: “Given our current enrollment projections, we believe that the District will be able to accommodate any additional students from the development.”
Patrick noted: "The elementary students in the proposed subdivision will easily be able to walk to Chief Joseph Elementary School. The subdivision is approximately two blocks from East Middle School. Great Falls High School will be the attendance center for any high school students."
City planning documents provide the following information about traffic:
Traffic Analysis Summary: Based on the ITE Trip Generation Manual (11th Edition), the Meadowview Village development is expected to generate an estimated 1,161 weekday trips and 106 PM peak-hour trips, using the land use classification of “Mobile Home Park” due to the site’s similar design and housing composition. Although the City’s threshold for a formal Traffic Impact Analysis is not met (200–300 peak-hour trips), the City’s transportation planner completed a traffic analysis given the scope of the project. The development will be accessed via two new private street approaches to 46th Street South—one aligned with Central Avenue and one approximately 350 feet to the south. Traffic distribution modeling assumes 30% of trips westbound on Central Avenue, 30% southbound on 46th Street, and 40% northbound toward 2nd Avenue North, which serves as a primary arterial.
The analysis concludes that the existing street network can accommodate the projected increase in vehicle volume; however, existing pedestrian and bicycle facilities in the area are insufficient. To ensure safe multimodal access, the developer will be required to construct missing sidewalk segments along 46th Street and provide an ADA-compliant crossing at Central Avenue. Staff recommends a modified treatment in lieu of a “bike boulevard,” proposing instead that 46th Street be widened to accommodate striped 5- to 6-foot bike lanes in each direction. A formal pedestrian route to 1st Avenue South and the 3rd Avenue South transit corridor, near Chief Joseph Elementary School, is also required as a condition of annexation. These improvements, combined with internal street design standards and driveway alignment requirements, will support safe and efficient circulation within and around the development.
Click here to see all of the planning documents (PDF).
The project’s next step will be being put before the City Commission on May 6, with a final decision on June 3.
To stay updated on the project, click here to visit the Upslope website.
