Bitterroot Resort Economic Impact Study Nearing Release - Presentations Scheduled
| November 6, 2007 |  View for printing |
Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation
In partnership with the Missoula Area Chamber of Commerce, our organization is sponsoring an independent analysis of the economic impact of the proposed Bitterroot Resort. Prepared by ECONorthwest, a professional consulting firm based in Portland, OR that has done other work in our community, the report represents the efforts of MAEDC and the Chamber to provide objective data regarding the Resort for our members and the public at large. A representative from ECONorthwest will discuss the report at a public presentation to be held on Thursday, November 8th.
Our goal for this project is to assess and quantify the project’s economic impact based on established research methodology and to share that information. By design, the report is limited to an analysis of economic inputs that would be generated by two scenarios—a full-fledged destination resort and a smaller, scaled-back version.
This project began when the Missoula Chamber of Commerce established a special task force in September 2005 dedicated to learning more about the proposed Bitterroot Resort. For nearly two years, the volunteer members of this task force met every month and invited representatives of the Forest Service, the Friends of Lolo Peak, the Bitterroot Resort and others to participate. Late last year, the task force decided that an analysis of the Resort’s potential economic impact should be conducted. Their recommendation was approved by the Boards of Directors for both the Missoula Area Chamber and MAEDC.
The draft report will be released on November 8th and a copy will be posted on both the Chamber and MAEDC web sites (http://www.missoulachamber.com and http://www.maedc.org).
Public input will be welcomed and will be included as part of the final report. Written comments will be accepted until November 19th. Both MAEDC and the Chamber fully realize that this report will not answer all the questions that a project of this size generates. But, we hope the report and the public input can help officials more effectively address the challenges caused by changing demographics and growth in Western Montana.
To complete the study, we contracted with a qualified firm that was selected from three who responded to our request for proposals. Funding for the project was split between the Montana Department of Commerce and local businesses and organizations located in Missoula and Ravalli Counties. The Bitterroot Resort provided important proprietary information to the consultant that was necessary for the analysis, but the Resort did not contribute financially to the project. The consultant also used other information from a variety of sources, including the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at The University of Montana, the Bitterroot Economic Development District’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and the City of Missoula’s Analysis of Impediments to Affordable Housing Choice.
The informational meeting will take place Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. in the conference room of the Montana Technology Enterprise Center, 1121 E. Broadway. We hope all interested parties will take the time to read the study before submitting comments. 
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