Two property developments that could change the face of Boulder, one for rental housing and the other for a dollar store, will go before city panels in public meetings next week.
On July 10, the Boulder City Council will consider a proposal by Throwing Dice LLC, to build 25 duplex rental homes on 7.49 acres at the west end of West Hauser Street, a development that promises to bring needed affordable housing to the city.
And on July 13, the Planning Board will review an application by Leading Tech Development LLC to have its parcel on the former north campus of the Montana Developmental Center (MDC) annexed by the city. Leading Tech is constructing a retail space that is set to become a Family Dollar Tree store.
The Throwing Dice project was originally expected to break ground in March, with a first phase of 12 duplexes, or 24 homes, available for rent by this fall. But it became the first test of the city’s new Buildings for Lease or Rent regulations, which have taken the Council several months to work through.
The company’s principals, Ryan Werner of Clancy and Andy Sabatini of Helena, now say that, if their proposal is approved by the City Council, they will begin construction the following week.
According to their proposal, each duplex would be 3,824 total square feet; each three-bedroom, two-bath unit within would have 1,426 square feet of living space. The homes would connect to municipal water and sewer service; the project site would be irrigated and watered via an existing on-site well.
Throwing Dice is seeking a variance to allow a single point of access to the development, via a 500-foot extension of West Hauser Street; the homes would be built along a loop within the parcel. City ordinance generally does not allow cul de sacs, preferring a through road for access by emergency vehicles.
The request for a variance argues that the proposed loop roadway would be “adequate” for emergency vehicles. It also proposes a 40-foot wide private access and utility easement that could facilitate “a potential future street connection.”
Werner and Sabatini, who will retain ownership after construction finishes, said they haven’t yet set rental rates for the units. In February, Werner told The Monitor: “When this land came available in 2021, we turned it into a multi-family project for more affordable housing.” Throwing Dice first registered with Montana’s Secretary of State in 2021. Sabatini is co-owner of Jade Management LLC, which owns and operates the Hampton Inn and Residence Inn by Marriott in Helena. Werner owns Werner Plumbing and Heating in Helena.
The Leading Tech proposal, meanwhile, would bring within city limits a Family Dollar Tree discount retailer that would fill part of the lot formerly occupied by Building Six of the MDC.
Utah-based Leading Tech, via a Montana corporation named C&N Boulder, acquired two parcels in May from the Jefferson Local Development Corp. Executive Director Lindsey Graham said JLDC sold the parcels for a nominal sum, with Leading Tech agreeing to assume the considerable expense of lead and asbestos remediation on the site.
Leading Tech demolished the old Building Six in June, and now says it plans to construct a 10,500-foot, single-story building on the site, with approximately 65 parking spots. The store would be accessed from Highway 69.
Alexis Riggs, the development coordinator for Leading Tech, said that the company would continue to own the land and building, leasing the space to Dollar Tree Inc., which operates over 8,000 stores in the United State and Canada under the names Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Family Dollar Tree.
The Boulder store, Riggs said, will carry the Family Dollar Tree brand, carrying merchandise from both Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. An opening date hasn’t been set. Leading Tech has sited and built about 300 Family Dollar stores, she said, mostly in western states.
Although the Leading Tech parcel sits mostly outside city limits, Boulder provides water and sewer service to the former MDC campus. Annexation, if recommended by the Planning Board and approved by the City Council, would recognize the value of those utilities and allow the city to collect property tax on the land and building.
In Leading Tech’s application for annexation, President Ryan Forsyth indicated the possibility of future expansion on the site. “We…will retain ownership of one parcel adjacent to this parcel upon which we hope to bring another retail user.” In addition to Family Dollar, the company develops properties for companies including Autozone, Tractor Supply, Jersey Mikes and 7-Eleven.
Indeed, Drew Dawson, president of the City Council, said Boulder was eyeing not just the Family Dollar Tree store itself, but the possibility of more development on the former MDC site.
“We’re also looking at potential for opening up the north campus to more trade and economic development,” he said. “We’re thinking in terms of what it can do for increasing our economic base.”
