Marshall Mountain Master Planning Process

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Residents can now enjoy 320 acres of open space at the former Marshall Mountain Ski Area, located at 5250 Marshall Canyon Dr. Thanks to a generous agreement with property owners, the City has a short-term lease with an option to purchase the 160-acre base area parcel and a use agreement with Five Valleys Land Trust for the 160-acre mid-mountain parcel.

Later this year, City and County elected officials will consider whether to preserve Marshall Mountain as public open space for $1.92 million. Funding for the purchase could come from the 2018 Open Space Bond and additional sources like grants, donations, and public-private partnerships. As in all open space acquisitions, the purchase would be subject to an extensive public process with numerous opportunities for citizen engagement. The master park plan and accompanying financial information will help inform the community’s decision.

The City is working with many partners, including but not limited to neighboring communities of East Missoula and Bonner/Milltown, Missoula County, Five Valleys Land Trust and MTB Missoula, to secure this area for future generations. Project partners have launched the park planning process at the request of residents and elected officials to help answer questions about development and maintenance costs should the community acquire the park for public ownership.

Draft Design Concept

Missoula Parks and Recreation conducted an online public comment survey on the draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park in December 2022. Survey results will be posted here in mid-February. The survey referenced the Shared Community Vision drafted in 2021 and the draft Design Concept.

The design concept is just the first step in developing a master plan for the park

A park design concept is an initial vision of what future development could look like. The concept includes a preliminary collection of ideas that reflect the community’s recreational and resource conservation priorities as identified in last year’s shared community visioning process. A design concept is fluid and can be tailored to community needs and available funding. The survey will tell us which design concept elements should be incorporated into the master park plan.

What's in the design concept?

The draft concept identifies scalable programmatic and design elements that can succeed at different investment levels. Residents will have a chance to evaluate proposed base area features like a multi-use loop trail built to adaptive standards, event areas, indoor space to support programming needs, and a primary trailhead that provides access to mid-mountain trails without conflicting with events in the base area. The early phase trail plan connects the base area to mid-mountain and provides a core trail system upon which future trails can be built. The design concept is the initial design phase and does not yet address policy choices like whether dogs are allowed, etc.

What's a master park plan?

The design team will integrate public comment from the survey into the design concept and the master park plan. A master park plan serves as a long-range vision for the future development and programming of the park and its resources. The plan will include estimated construction costs, a feasibility study and an operational business plan to ensure that the proposed program is physically and financially feasible and to determine the best structure for operating and maintaining the park. In addition, a master park plan includes phased development strategies with a development timeline dependent on public process outcomes and available funding.

Master planning process:
The project team has undertaken an iterative planning and design process to develop a draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park. The concept identifies scalable programmatic and design elements that can be successful at different levels of investment. The program and design concept were developed using the following framework of prioritized tiers of Marshall Mountain users:

  1. Mountain-based self-initiated recreation (i.e., everyday users)
  2. Mountain-based programmed recreation (Parks and Recreation programs and private/nonprofit recreation programming.)
  3. Public events (open to the public but not necessarily hosted by a public agency.)
  4. Private events (closed to the public, i.e., weddings, private parties, etc.)

Next Steps:

Feedback from this public comment period will be used to inform the final master plan. The draft master plan will be released for public comment in early 2023.

TIMELINE:
December 2022: Marshall Mountain updates to City Conservation Lands Advisory Committee, City Open Space Advisory Committee, City Park Board, and City Council Climate, Conservation, and Parks committee.

February 2023: Incorporation of December's public comment period into Marshall Mountain Master Plan and initiation of final Marshall Mountain Master Plan.

March 2023: Development of probable project costs for construction, operation, and maintenance of Marshall Mountain Master Plan.

April-June 2023: Open Space Advisory Committee and County Open Lands Committee discuss the use of 2018 Open Space Bond funds for the acquisition of Marshall Mountain and make a final recommendation to the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners. The City Council and Board of County Commissioners can vote to use the 2018 Open Space Bond dollars to purchase Marshall Mountain.

City Council Committee and Meetings calendar can be found here.

The current lease option to buy deadline is June 23, 2023.

Fundraising: Ongoing

At the end of the 24-month lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants and donations, public/private partnerships and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

Friends of Marshall Mountain, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is tasked with raising funds for the acquisition and the master plan implementation of Marshall Mountain Park.


Marshall Mountain Park is Open to the Public!

Please review the Marshall Mountain Park rules and trail map before visiting. Public access is permitted by an agreement with the property owner, Izzy Dog, LLC. The site could be closed if users do not follow the posted rules and guidelines. Please use the park safely, responsibly and respectfully to preserve future community access. Thanks for your cooperation and support.

  • You are recreating on private property; respect property owners and neighbors.
  • Day use only—no overnight camping or parking.
  • Dogs are not permitted at this time*.
  • Watch for trail use and type—some trails are one-way, bikes only.
  • Stay on trails, and recreate safely.
  • The park may be reserved for programs and special events. Learn more.

Partnering with the community to preserve public access

Izzy Dog, LLC owns the Marshall Mountain Base Area Property and is offering the Missoula community a unique opportunity to preserve Marshall Mountain and build a mountain-based recreation area that residents can readily access and enjoy.

At the end of the lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and adjacent 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000.

The acquisition will be subject to the standard City open space acquisition processes, including an extensive public process with multiple opportunities for citizen engagement, culminating in a City Council vote. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants, donations, public/private partnerships, and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

During the lease period, the City of Missoula will collaborate with community partners to develop strategies to fund property acquisition, design, planning, and development.

*Due to the anticipated high volume of recreational use and the design of the existing trail system, dogs are not allowed on-site during the lease period. Based on community feedback during the upcoming public planning process, dogs may or may not be permitted later. For now, please enjoy recreating with your pooch pals on the hundreds of miles of shared-use, dog-accessible trails elsewhere within the Missoula Valley.

We have concluded the Community Visioning Process (for now) see below for more information on the process and stay tuned for project updates and more ways to engage. Take a virtual tour of Marshall Mountain Park.

The Draft Shared Community Vision is now available:

Shared Community Vision FINAL DRAFT

Who has been involved?

We kicked off the community visioning process with a series of stakeholder meetings to think broadly about what Marshall Mountain could be. Many people participated including representatives from organizations focused on: equity and inclusion, local communities, outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and local land management agencies.

Banner Image by Spin Virtual Tours + Photography

Residents can now enjoy 320 acres of open space at the former Marshall Mountain Ski Area, located at 5250 Marshall Canyon Dr. Thanks to a generous agreement with property owners, the City has a short-term lease with an option to purchase the 160-acre base area parcel and a use agreement with Five Valleys Land Trust for the 160-acre mid-mountain parcel.

Later this year, City and County elected officials will consider whether to preserve Marshall Mountain as public open space for $1.92 million. Funding for the purchase could come from the 2018 Open Space Bond and additional sources like grants, donations, and public-private partnerships. As in all open space acquisitions, the purchase would be subject to an extensive public process with numerous opportunities for citizen engagement. The master park plan and accompanying financial information will help inform the community’s decision.

The City is working with many partners, including but not limited to neighboring communities of East Missoula and Bonner/Milltown, Missoula County, Five Valleys Land Trust and MTB Missoula, to secure this area for future generations. Project partners have launched the park planning process at the request of residents and elected officials to help answer questions about development and maintenance costs should the community acquire the park for public ownership.

Draft Design Concept

Missoula Parks and Recreation conducted an online public comment survey on the draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park in December 2022. Survey results will be posted here in mid-February. The survey referenced the Shared Community Vision drafted in 2021 and the draft Design Concept.

The design concept is just the first step in developing a master plan for the park

A park design concept is an initial vision of what future development could look like. The concept includes a preliminary collection of ideas that reflect the community’s recreational and resource conservation priorities as identified in last year’s shared community visioning process. A design concept is fluid and can be tailored to community needs and available funding. The survey will tell us which design concept elements should be incorporated into the master park plan.

What's in the design concept?

The draft concept identifies scalable programmatic and design elements that can succeed at different investment levels. Residents will have a chance to evaluate proposed base area features like a multi-use loop trail built to adaptive standards, event areas, indoor space to support programming needs, and a primary trailhead that provides access to mid-mountain trails without conflicting with events in the base area. The early phase trail plan connects the base area to mid-mountain and provides a core trail system upon which future trails can be built. The design concept is the initial design phase and does not yet address policy choices like whether dogs are allowed, etc.

What's a master park plan?

The design team will integrate public comment from the survey into the design concept and the master park plan. A master park plan serves as a long-range vision for the future development and programming of the park and its resources. The plan will include estimated construction costs, a feasibility study and an operational business plan to ensure that the proposed program is physically and financially feasible and to determine the best structure for operating and maintaining the park. In addition, a master park plan includes phased development strategies with a development timeline dependent on public process outcomes and available funding.

Master planning process:
The project team has undertaken an iterative planning and design process to develop a draft design concept for Marshall Mountain Park. The concept identifies scalable programmatic and design elements that can be successful at different levels of investment. The program and design concept were developed using the following framework of prioritized tiers of Marshall Mountain users:

  1. Mountain-based self-initiated recreation (i.e., everyday users)
  2. Mountain-based programmed recreation (Parks and Recreation programs and private/nonprofit recreation programming.)
  3. Public events (open to the public but not necessarily hosted by a public agency.)
  4. Private events (closed to the public, i.e., weddings, private parties, etc.)

Next Steps:

Feedback from this public comment period will be used to inform the final master plan. The draft master plan will be released for public comment in early 2023.

TIMELINE:
December 2022: Marshall Mountain updates to City Conservation Lands Advisory Committee, City Open Space Advisory Committee, City Park Board, and City Council Climate, Conservation, and Parks committee.

February 2023: Incorporation of December's public comment period into Marshall Mountain Master Plan and initiation of final Marshall Mountain Master Plan.

March 2023: Development of probable project costs for construction, operation, and maintenance of Marshall Mountain Master Plan.

April-June 2023: Open Space Advisory Committee and County Open Lands Committee discuss the use of 2018 Open Space Bond funds for the acquisition of Marshall Mountain and make a final recommendation to the City Council and the Board of County Commissioners. The City Council and Board of County Commissioners can vote to use the 2018 Open Space Bond dollars to purchase Marshall Mountain.

City Council Committee and Meetings calendar can be found here.

The current lease option to buy deadline is June 23, 2023.

Fundraising: Ongoing

At the end of the 24-month lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants and donations, public/private partnerships and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

Friends of Marshall Mountain, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is tasked with raising funds for the acquisition and the master plan implementation of Marshall Mountain Park.


Marshall Mountain Park is Open to the Public!

Please review the Marshall Mountain Park rules and trail map before visiting. Public access is permitted by an agreement with the property owner, Izzy Dog, LLC. The site could be closed if users do not follow the posted rules and guidelines. Please use the park safely, responsibly and respectfully to preserve future community access. Thanks for your cooperation and support.

  • You are recreating on private property; respect property owners and neighbors.
  • Day use only—no overnight camping or parking.
  • Dogs are not permitted at this time*.
  • Watch for trail use and type—some trails are one-way, bikes only.
  • Stay on trails, and recreate safely.
  • The park may be reserved for programs and special events. Learn more.

Partnering with the community to preserve public access

Izzy Dog, LLC owns the Marshall Mountain Base Area Property and is offering the Missoula community a unique opportunity to preserve Marshall Mountain and build a mountain-based recreation area that residents can readily access and enjoy.

At the end of the lease period, the City of Missoula will have the option to purchase the 320-acre Marshall Mountain Base Area Property (Izzy Dog property and adjacent 5 Valleys Land Trust parcel) for $1,925,000.

The acquisition will be subject to the standard City open space acquisition processes, including an extensive public process with multiple opportunities for citizen engagement, culminating in a City Council vote. Potential funding sources may include but are not limited to grants, donations, public/private partnerships, and 2018 City-County Open Space bond funds.

During the lease period, the City of Missoula will collaborate with community partners to develop strategies to fund property acquisition, design, planning, and development.

*Due to the anticipated high volume of recreational use and the design of the existing trail system, dogs are not allowed on-site during the lease period. Based on community feedback during the upcoming public planning process, dogs may or may not be permitted later. For now, please enjoy recreating with your pooch pals on the hundreds of miles of shared-use, dog-accessible trails elsewhere within the Missoula Valley.

We have concluded the Community Visioning Process (for now) see below for more information on the process and stay tuned for project updates and more ways to engage. Take a virtual tour of Marshall Mountain Park.

The Draft Shared Community Vision is now available:

Shared Community Vision FINAL DRAFT

Who has been involved?

We kicked off the community visioning process with a series of stakeholder meetings to think broadly about what Marshall Mountain could be. Many people participated including representatives from organizations focused on: equity and inclusion, local communities, outdoor recreation, environmental stewardship, and local land management agencies.

Banner Image by Spin Virtual Tours + Photography

Page last updated: 30 Jan 2023, 04:50 PM