Hey, What’s That? The Missoula Planning Services department gets streamlined + a new option for pet care is popping up.

Did you know a new vet clinic is coming to the Reserve Street corridor? Sentinel Veterinary Medical Care will be a 24-hour emergency vet clinic. They just broke ground near Reserve and Mount Avenue, just north of Rosauers, so keep an eye for a new building.

Nearby, there’s more good news. Scheels at the Southgate Mall is moving forward. Ultimately, the store will be about 110,000 square feet and will bring 150 jobs to the valley. Scheels is a little like REI on steroids.

On McDonald Avenue, we were excited to help Montana Fire Pits secure a new industrial space. It might seem like the end of outdoor fire season, but Montana Fire Pits has options that will carry you all the way through winter.

And speaking of heating up, the long search for a Missoula Planning Services Director has finally found a match. The city created folded Planning Services into a new department called Community Planning, Development and Innovation, and selected Erin Pehan as director. The new division brings together Pehan’s home base, the Office of Housing and Community Development, with Transportation Planning and Public Works.

The intention is to streamline the planning and review processes, as well as improve communication. It’s good to see that leadership is in place for development services, which is a critical part of getting more housing built to meet the growing demands in Missoula County.

Finally, we’ve got a new taco truck and a new pho place. Pho Vi is coming to the former Quizno’s on Brooks Street. If you’re a little newer to Missoula, you might remember this as Cafe Zydeco. Tacos El Pelon isn’t necessarily ‘new’ – their team has been serving around the Mission Valley for a while. You can now find them on Expressway, across from UPS, Monday through Friday.

Thanks for tuning in, Missoula! Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for more videos like this. Contact Matt Mellott or Claire Matten with questions about the dirt moving around Missoula.