GREAT FALLS — A new housing development broke ground Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, along the Missouri River in Great Falls, adding 90 new units to a city that's been hungry for housing supply.
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The Bay View development will include 78 apartment units and 12 townhomes on one of the last buildable properties along the river. Architect and co-owner Dale Nelson says getting to this point took years of work.
"It was in the floodplain," Nelson said. "So we had to go through two years of engineering to get it out of the floodplain. But then it's one of the last buildable properties on the river in Great Falls."
Apartment construction begins this fall, with townhomes to follow in spring. The single-story townhome designs are built with accessibility in mind — ideal for older residents or those who split time between Montana and warmer states. Both phases are expected to wrap by spring of 2028.
Jake Clark, Vice President of Business Development for the Great Falls Development Alliance, called Tuesday's groundbreaking a milestone.
"This is a 92-unit housing win for Great Falls," Clark said. "This is two different types of housing coming into one site, developed by folks who live here and love Great Falls as much as all of us do. And who wouldn't want to live along the Missouri River in Great Falls, Montana?"
The GFDA and the Association of Realtors estimate Great Falls needs roughly 600 new units per year to meet demand. Nelson acknowledges 92 doors is a start — not a solution.
"It's going to be a small step," Nelson said. "The GFDA is saying we probably need 600 a year. So this is going to take about 20% of that out."
The Bay View project joins several other developments gaining traction in Great Falls, including Meadowview Village and for-rent options at the Station District and the Aurora. The city is also preparing to update its growth policy for the first time in over a decade.
