216-unit apartment complex planned for west Great Falls

A new 216-unit apartment complex is planned for the west side of Great Falls, at the corner of Division Road and Smelter Avenue Northwest.

The project will include studio apartments as well as one- and two-bedroom units, according to Jim McLeod, managing director of Farran Realty Partners.

Farran is developing the apartments and also developed the Talus Apartments in Great Falls. Construction on phase two of Talus is scheduled to begin in July.

The nine-acre property is still in the county, so the first step will be to annex the parcel and assign R-6 zoning, which is high-density, multifamily residential.

The project is scheduled to go before the city planning board and zoning commission May 24.

McLeod said the complex will have similar amenities to Talus but will have a more modern design. He said he expects to have elevations and other project design documents next week.

The project doesn’t have a name yet, but McLeod said it will feature nine 24-unit buildings, plus a clubhouse with a fitness center, pool and community space.

McLeod said Talus is largely full of young professionals, military members and active seniors. The Farran team said it believes there’s a need for more apartments in Great Falls and the rent will be market driven.

“The market is definitely ready for more apartments,” Scott Blumfield of Catalyst Commercial said.

Brett Doney, head of the Great Falls Development Authority, said the GFDA board set a goal of 500 new apartment starts over the next several years.

That goal stems from an employer survey GFDA conducted last year that found many potential employees from out of town turned down jobs because of housing.

“This would be a huge plus for the westside,” Doney said.

Talus is at the higher end of the apartment market in Great Falls, but the project has spurred other apartment projects and renovations of older apartment units, Doney said.

Gregory Gordos, a city planner on the project, said they are nearing completion of the improvement agreement between the city and developers.

The planning office has shifted its policy to require that agreement be settled before proposed projects go to the planning board “so everybody knows what’s going on,” Gordos said.

The improvement agreement process involves city planners, public works, engineers, law enforcement, fire, Montana Department of Transportation and others.