Missoula News

Planning and development

Missoula Commissioners Reject Greenough Development

By Greg Lemon, 1-10-07

Missoula County commissioners rejected the proposed Clearwater Meadows Subdivision Wednesday after nearly more than an hour of public and expert comment, most of it against the subdivision.

John Richards is the landowner proposing the subdivision, which is about one mile west of Clearwater Junction, east of Missoula on Highway 200. The subdivision would border Highway 200 near Blanchard Creek and would only be a quarter mile for the Blackfoot Clearwater Game Range.

Initially Richard proposed 119 lots on 200 acres, but he had recently decreased the lots to 96 in order to provide more open space and make the subdivision more attractive for the commissioners.

But the move didn’t work. In the end his mitigation measures weren’t enough.

For commissioner Jean Curtiss, the problems are many and varied: too many lots, water quality issues in Blanchard Creek and the Clearwater River, fire protection concerns, and traffic concerns.

“It’s basically an urban subdivision with a rural infrastructure,” Curtiss said.

Missoula County's consolidated planning board unanimously recommended denial of the subdivision in December. Richards responded by of decreasing lot numbers earlier this week, as Mea Andrews of the Missoulian reported.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has recommended that he cut all but 20 lots out of the subdivision plan because of crucial wildlife corridor concerns.

But the wildlife has plenty of space to roam in the forest surrounding his property, Richards said.

His development is about having affordable housing for the working people around Seeley Lake, he said in defense of his proposal. The houses would sell for less than $150,000, he said.

“This is not about destroying wildlife habitat, it’s about people and affordable housing,” Richards said.

But his development is located in one of the only protected areas animals can cross Highway 200, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, Chris Servheen.

Servheen showed a diagram of the wanderings of a radio-collared grizzly bear from 2005. The bear crossed Highway 200 only once, right where the subdivision is to be built.

Other concerns discussed at the hearing were fire safety. A representative from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation pointed out that the subdivision was planned on land in the wildland urban interface, which poses a problem from local fire crews.

There there were the transportation concerns. Traffic on Highway 200 was a big part of those concerns. One neighbor to the land said the traffic was all ready too much to allow easy access on and off the highway in the area.

After the meeting, commissioner Bill Carey said he was disappointed that Richards tried to push the subdivision through.

“At some point I wish John would have realized it wasn’t going and stopped,” Carey said.

Hopefully, the commissioner’s decision Wednesday will send a message, he said. It’s time for developers to begin looking at smarter ways to grow. Subdivision proposals, like Clearwater Meadows, are retrogressive.

Countywide zoning would help the problem, but wouldn’t be the only solution, Carey said. More leadership from the legislature would also help, as would a different mindset from developers.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.