Neighbors Building Community Since 1996
Front Step CLT is a collective of neighbors cultivating and defending community power in Missoula, so everyone who calls Missoula home can thrive.
What We’re About
We demolish walls that restrict wealth to the few. We use land trusts, housing co-ops, and deed restrictions to make permanently affordable homeownership attainable for all. We push for equitable city policies and zoning changes that mend the rifts created by gentrification and displacement. We open doors to each other, honoring the Missoulians who’ve built their lives here—and making room for the ones on their way.
Our Work
Homeownership
Own a Front Step CLT home and join a movement for lasting affordability. With community-owned land, we ensure homes stay accessible for generations to come.
Community
Join us in building a Missoula where everyone belongs through gatherings, partnerships, and advocacy for people-first policies that strengthen how we live together.
Advocacy
Fight for fair zoning, anti-displacement measures, and permanent affordability to ensure Missoula stays a place where everyone can build their future, no matter their income.
Homeownership
Own a Front Step CLT home and join a movement for lasting affordability. With community-owned land, we ensure homes stay accessible for generations to come.
Improve your relationship with others
Be your best self, alone and with others, and cultivate deep and lasting friendships and relationships.
-
Home
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
-
Advocacy
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
-
Community
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
-
Get Involved
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
-
Updates
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor.
Home
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.
Get Involved
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.
Advocacy
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.
Updates
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.
Community
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna.
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Quote Source
Our Properties
-
Built in 2002
5 Homes
Number of bedrooms: 2 to 3
NMCDC’s first development, Whittier Court features five two- and three-bedroom single family homes in the Northside neighborhood. Development involved the rehabilitation and restoration of an existing 1940s era house and the construction of four additional detached single family homes on the same property. Since its completion, Whittier Court has become a model for affordable housing projects, winning an award from the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission for “Sympathetic Infill Development in a Historic Neighborhood”.
-
Built in 2006
25 homes
22 two-bedroom multi-story townhomes
2 accessible two-bedroom single-story homes
1 multi-story three-bedroom home
Located along the Clark Fork River and Riverfront Trail System on the north side of the river between Russell and California Street. This unique location provides homeowners with bike/pedestrian access to many conveniences essential to healthy living, leaving residents just minutes via foot or bike from important infrastructure such as the Missoula Carousel, Dragons Hollow Park, McCormick Park, Historic Downtown Missoula, and several amenities such as a large grocery store, St. Patrick’s hospital, and the neighborhood elementary school.
-
Built in 2008
17 townhomes
Number of bedrooms: 1, 2, and 3
Burns Street Commons was constructed with energy efficiency in mind and is located in Missoula’s historic Westside neighborhood. It includes townhomes of various configurations and is adjacent to the Burns Street Center, a community-oriented commercial space developed by NMCDC. NMCDC’s office is located here, in addition to three local business tenants: the Western Montana Growers Co-op, Plant Perks, and Burns Street Bistro. Burns St. Commons conveniently sits two blocks from the City bus stop.
-
Built in 2019
7 homes
5 two-bedroom homes
2 four-bedroom homes
NMCDC is proud to bring seven townhomes to Missoula’s fast-changing Heart of Missoula/Downtown neighborhood. Lee Gordon Place is located across the street from the new library site, adjacent to Kiwanis Park, and two blocks from the Missoula Children’s Theater. This project was made possible by the Lee Gordon family’s generous donation of the land to the NMCDC in 2015.
-
Interested in Purchasing one of our CLT Homes?
Fill out our homebuyer application to join the interest list, and visit the homebuyer resources page to learn more about the program!
-
Interested in Purchasing one of our CLT Homes?
Fill out our homebuyer application to join the interest list, and visit the homebuyer resources page to learn more about the program!
-
Interested in Purchasing one of our CLT Homes?
Fill out our homebuyer application to join the interest list, and visit the homebuyer resources page to learn more about the program!
Brittany Palmer
Executive Director
she/her
-
Brittany joined the North Missoula Community Development Corporation in 2020 and leads the organization in building community power, thriving neighborhoods, and affordable homes. Brittany received an MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, where she researched and wrote about settler colonialism at the National Bison Range. She serves as the Board President of the Northwest Coalition of CLTs, a regional network of community land trusts, and organizes with ProHousing Missoula, a broad-based coalition of advocates in favor of zoning code reform that leads to housing for all.
Hannah Kosel
Stewardship Coordinator
they/she
-
Hannah is the Stewardship and Communications Coordinator for NMCDC. They are motivated by Missoula’s history of neighbors advocating for housing justice, and enjoys building relationships with homeowners in the Community Land Trust program who continue this vision. An organizer with the Missoula Tenants Union, Hannah is grateful for community support for equitable and affordable housing for all Missoulians.
Hannah also enjoys sparkling snowy ski trips and warms cups of tea over games of cribbage. In warmer seasons, they enjoy late evening bike rides and snacking on kayaks. Hannah is a self-acclaimed fanboy for the Western Montana Fair and dreams of a retirement filled with season tickets to Lady Griz games.
Jana Richter
Community Engagement Specialist they/them
-
Jana is the Community Engagement specialist for the NMCDC. They moved to Montana in 2019 to get a permanent taste of the Big Sky and have been slow gulping it ever since.
As a community organizer, Jana is passionate about building community around shared values of reciprocity and interconnectedness, working to make housing and land use knowledge more accessible and fun (zoning is sexy!!), and nourishing a deep sense of belonging throughout our beloved built environments.
They can’t wait to learn more about what fuels neighbors to show up for our community and build power around addressing Missoula’s housing crisis in the months to come.
Barron Whitney Peper
ProHousing Missoula Coordinator he/him
-
Barron is the Pro-Housing Missoula Coordinator for NMCDC. He is an award-winning architect and facilitator who creates spaces that foster belonging and help us to remember our interdependence. He is a student of Holistic Resistance, and has a facilitation style rooted in relationships, storytelling and asking questions. Barron leads community song-circles locally and enjoys a music-less movement form called Contact Improv.
Text copy with “Call-Out Block” lorem ipsum dolores.
Consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
46.7% Ipsum lacinia torquent volutpat ornare taciti sit auctor.
Charts and Data
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Try a session for free and see if it’s right for you.
There’s no commitment, pressure, or obligation.
Make an impact today
Support our mission by contributing a donation.