Growth Policy 5-Year Review

Comments on the Missoula Growth Policy Review, October 2021, submitted by Jenny Mish on behalf of Franklin-to-Fort Neighbors in Action:

Franklin-to-Fort Neighbors in Action (F2F NiA) is an independent volunteer organization that engages and listens to people who live in the Franklin-to-Fort neighborhood. We identify needs, build agency, and take action to improve social, economic, and ecological well-being in our neighborhood. Our activities are informed by three shared values: working together, listening and responding to neighbors, and care and stewardship of F2F, both now and for the future. Since March 2020, we have provided neighbors with mutual aid, story walks, Halloween parades, and cleanup days. In June 2021, we received a neighborhood placemaking grant from the City to install planters and murals, repair and paint the turtle sculptures in Franklin Park, and host activities, including collaborating with Missoula in Motion to host Sunday Streets.

F2F NiA members deeply appreciate the City’s Growth Policy and other efforts to increase affordable housing, promote multi-modal transportation, and mitigate and adapt to climate change, among others.

We are also concerned that development in our neighborhood does not always reflect the values and goals stated in the Growth Policy, and does not always protect and enhance our neighborhood health, safety, and quality of life. In particular, we are concerned that the Franklin-to-Fort neighborhood has fewer restrictions on new development than other neighborhoods, leading to greater density, with taller new buildings, less outdoor/green space, and increased traffic without increased transportation infrastructure.

We request that new developments in our neighborhood be required to:
• Include outdoor green spaces such as gardens, pockets parks, benches, and playgrounds, in proportion to the number of residential units being built.
• Provide adequate off-street parking and substantial support for alternative modes of transportation (for example safe, well-lit, covered bike parking rather than bike racks in dark icy corners or up/down stairs).
• Protect existing solar energy production potential, viewsheds, and open air rather than maximizing density with vertical buildings that block sunlight, dominate streetscapes, and undermine residential character.

We are concerned about the future development of the Johnson Street site and request that it will:
• Require the highest residential standard for remediation of toxins.
• Include an appropriate level of density, including low-income and other housing, rather than overcrowding.
• Provide walkable streetscapes, underground parking, and support for alternative modes of transport.
• Create community and family-friendly multi-use development, such as a library hub, community rooms, child care, etc., rather than casinos, breweries, and pawn shops.

We would like to be able to engage in respectful two-way communication with developers so that we have opportunities to understand and comment on proposed developments, including those that might otherwise bulldoze residents’ memories. In these situations, we are interested in identifying creative ways to honor the history of our neighborhood, both recent and tribal, through place names, public art, and other placemaking activities. For example, one approved rezoning request made way for 10 units on a lot where horses lived not long ago; we can envision potential installations, naming options, and/or activities that could carry the images and memories of those grazing horses into the future, retaining neighborhood connections, character, and culture.

We are looking forward to the relaunch of the City’s Office of Neighborhoods, with improved communications and access to City staff in support of our volunteer efforts. The Growth Policy references “neighborhood plans,” but we either do not have one for F2F, or we do not know about it, and we would like to!

In addition, we are hoping to see improvements in the City’s ability to integrate transportation and land use activities. Currently, approved rezoning requests and other density increases bring increased transportation burdens that are only recognized much later. We would like the Growth Policy to automatically trigger increased investments in traffic calming, pedestrian/bike crossings, and other infrastructure to support alternative modes of transport when developments are approved.

We understand that the upcoming Code Reform process is an important opportunity for us to express these and other concerns, and we plan to do so. We are also planning to submit comments on rezoning requests and otherwise increase our communications with City Council.

Thank you for your work on behalf of all Missoulians.

In addition to the high cost of housing and the urgent need to respond to climate change, I believe lack of adequate child care is a serious deterrant to equitable economic development. Are there regulatory roadblocks? Perhaps the City could set an example by providing affordable day care for its employees.

It's my opinion that the homeless population is the biggest issue in Missoula. It's frustrating to be paying taxes and no longer be able to safely enjoy some of the public parks that I used to. Now, I have to worry about being verbally or physically attacked. Also, I have concern about the needles I find in our parks -- what if a child or beloved pet steps on one? Also, the trash and disrespect of our environment by the homeless people is very frustrating. If they would just respect our spaces, our homes & our community, I would be fine with having them here and be willing to help them like I used to about 10 years ago. At a neighborhood get-together a couple years ago, I was told by a neighbor that I should be fine with people camping out (literally) in my back yard because they have nowhere to go. This mindset is absolutely crazy to me!

Removed by moderator.

Housing policies need to include constraints against building more housing in WUI areas, especially including new housing in areas with inadequate emergency evacuation options. This goal should be reflected in the land use maps and zoning decisions, as well as in the "Policy" sections of your Appendix A document.
“The WUI is the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development. It is the line, area or zone where structures and other human development meet or intermingle with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.” U.S. Fire Administration

Since 2015, the United States has averaged 100 more large wildfires every year than the year before, creating conditions in which wildfires overwhelm response capabilities. U.S. Fire Administration, July 28, 2021

see: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/blog/ig-070821.html

Target areas for high-density housing should include River Road and brownfields/ vacant lands between I-90 and the North Side, rather than Mullan Road and Grant Creek.

R T Cox, commenting individually
lower Grant Creek

The changes the city is making to update bridges and roads that include greater bike accessibility have been excellent. Higgins bridge stands out as an example. Even though the project is only halfway complete, travel through that corridor by bike or foot is already as good as it was before; the finished product will allow sustainable transportation for years to come. I am a little concerned about how cracked the car bridge deck is already, but hopefully that was an expected part of the project and the contractors can be held accountable if it fails in the near future.
The policies on housing have failed. The density that the townhome designation allowed has created relatively towering structures that shade neighbors homes, and were the beginning of the market for rich, out-of-town residents to begin buying second homes. Many homes that could have been purchased by working class families were torn down instead of fixed up and loved. The requirements to build a sidewalk, install a curb, and pave an alley have made projects extremely expensive for average homeowners in Missoula. People who simply wanted to build a garage were forced to think bigger and build a rental unit associated with the garages they wanted. Due to those increased costs, the rentals they created often enter into the Airbnb/VRBO market instead of the market for working Missoulians. This brings some money into our community, but not in a way that makes Missoula “vibrant” or our economy “bright”. It means that we rely on outside money, which the pandemic has shown us can quickly vanish and then pour in in drastic peaks and valleys that are the definition of unsustainable.