Northside Parks

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Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Open House on 3/26 and filled out the online survey! Results will be posted soon! Based on what we heard, we are working on refining the draft master plans to create the final master plans for the new park on North Scott Street, Northside Park, and Northside Annex.


PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Northside and Westside neighborhoods are growing, and so is the need for parks and park amenities that are walkable for residents. The city is actively pursuing land acquisition for a new 5.4-acre park at Scott and Rodgers, which will serve the growing neighborhoods and replace White Pine Park. The neighborhood was in need of additional parkland before the construction of the Villagio (200 units) and Ravara (220 units/Mixed Use). Planning work for the new park is being considered hand-in-hand with planning for the existing parks in the Northside.

EXISTING PARKS IN THE NORTHSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD

Existing parks include Northside Park, the Northside Park Annex (also referred to as Northside Ballfield), and White Pine Park. Existing amenities at Northside Park and Northside Park Annex include a softball diamond, basketball court, picnic shelter, playground, currently inoperable splash pad, restrooms, and the Northside Community Gardens (managed by Garden City Harvest). Several of these facilities are in need of near-term replacement.

White Pine Park currently includes a playground, picnic tables, and a soccer field. A portion of White Pine Park is being developed as part of the Scott Street Ravara Development in order to better connect street grids. The remaining ~2.25 acres is encumbered by a large sewer main that limits construction of typical park amenities.


NEW PARK ON NORTH SCOTT STREET

The City intends to replace White Pine Park with a new 5.4-acre park bounded by Scott, Rogers, Otis, and Shakespeare Streets in order to provide a park that is larger, with full amenities, and which is safer for residents to reach. The location for the park was identified in and is intended to align with the adopted North Reserve Scott Street Urban Renewal District (URD) Plans and neighborhood goals for walkability and services. Funding for parcel acquisition is anticipated to be a combination of the 2018 Open Space Bond and tax increment financing through the URD and in partnership with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. The City has been working with the current landowner, Resurrection Cemetery Association (RCA), for several years and the two parties are working toward a closing date of late December 2024.

The timeline for the park is: Acquisition of parcel in winter 2024 - Begin design development in Spring 2025 - Start construction in 2026 or 2027


NORTHSIDE PARKS DESIGN WORKSHOPS

Parks and Recreation, along with the city's Office of Neighborhoods, held two design workshop for the Northside parks in September and November at Lowell Elementary. Parks and Recreation staff gave a presentation about the Northside's parks and the efforts for more park space and park amenities in the Northside. Participants outlined what they valued in the existing park spaces, words to describe the spaces when complete, amenities and qualities that different interest groups would value in the spaces, and questions to be answered. Following these group discussions, participants worked in groups to create designs for each park - Northside Park, Northside Park Annex, and the new park on North Scott Street. Summary notes from the workshops are posted in the documents of this page or by clicking here. Copies of the designs created by each group during the workshops can be found in the documents of this page.


RELATED PLANNING DOCUMENTS

North Reserve-Scott Street Urban Renewal District (URD):

  • A portion of Northside was included within an Urban Renewal District in 2014 to help support redevelopment of the area, in alignment with the goals of the NRSS URD Plan (and later) the master plan.
  • Phased implementation, until the district closes (likely in 2045)

North Reserve-Scott Street Master Plan

  • Adopted in 2016
  • Conceptual road map to guide development, prioritize URD investments in transportation infrastructure, housing, businesses, and other land uses Guides public and private investment in the urban renewal district

Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails statistically valid survey results

  • Survey conducted in 2024 by the University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research to assess Missoulians' outlook and priorities for their parks, recreation programs and facilities, open spaces, and trails

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Open House on 3/26 and filled out the online survey! Results will be posted soon! Based on what we heard, we are working on refining the draft master plans to create the final master plans for the new park on North Scott Street, Northside Park, and Northside Annex.


PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Northside and Westside neighborhoods are growing, and so is the need for parks and park amenities that are walkable for residents. The city is actively pursuing land acquisition for a new 5.4-acre park at Scott and Rodgers, which will serve the growing neighborhoods and replace White Pine Park. The neighborhood was in need of additional parkland before the construction of the Villagio (200 units) and Ravara (220 units/Mixed Use). Planning work for the new park is being considered hand-in-hand with planning for the existing parks in the Northside.

EXISTING PARKS IN THE NORTHSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD

Existing parks include Northside Park, the Northside Park Annex (also referred to as Northside Ballfield), and White Pine Park. Existing amenities at Northside Park and Northside Park Annex include a softball diamond, basketball court, picnic shelter, playground, currently inoperable splash pad, restrooms, and the Northside Community Gardens (managed by Garden City Harvest). Several of these facilities are in need of near-term replacement.

White Pine Park currently includes a playground, picnic tables, and a soccer field. A portion of White Pine Park is being developed as part of the Scott Street Ravara Development in order to better connect street grids. The remaining ~2.25 acres is encumbered by a large sewer main that limits construction of typical park amenities.


NEW PARK ON NORTH SCOTT STREET

The City intends to replace White Pine Park with a new 5.4-acre park bounded by Scott, Rogers, Otis, and Shakespeare Streets in order to provide a park that is larger, with full amenities, and which is safer for residents to reach. The location for the park was identified in and is intended to align with the adopted North Reserve Scott Street Urban Renewal District (URD) Plans and neighborhood goals for walkability and services. Funding for parcel acquisition is anticipated to be a combination of the 2018 Open Space Bond and tax increment financing through the URD and in partnership with the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. The City has been working with the current landowner, Resurrection Cemetery Association (RCA), for several years and the two parties are working toward a closing date of late December 2024.

The timeline for the park is: Acquisition of parcel in winter 2024 - Begin design development in Spring 2025 - Start construction in 2026 or 2027


NORTHSIDE PARKS DESIGN WORKSHOPS

Parks and Recreation, along with the city's Office of Neighborhoods, held two design workshop for the Northside parks in September and November at Lowell Elementary. Parks and Recreation staff gave a presentation about the Northside's parks and the efforts for more park space and park amenities in the Northside. Participants outlined what they valued in the existing park spaces, words to describe the spaces when complete, amenities and qualities that different interest groups would value in the spaces, and questions to be answered. Following these group discussions, participants worked in groups to create designs for each park - Northside Park, Northside Park Annex, and the new park on North Scott Street. Summary notes from the workshops are posted in the documents of this page or by clicking here. Copies of the designs created by each group during the workshops can be found in the documents of this page.


RELATED PLANNING DOCUMENTS

North Reserve-Scott Street Urban Renewal District (URD):

  • A portion of Northside was included within an Urban Renewal District in 2014 to help support redevelopment of the area, in alignment with the goals of the NRSS URD Plan (and later) the master plan.
  • Phased implementation, until the district closes (likely in 2045)

North Reserve-Scott Street Master Plan

  • Adopted in 2016
  • Conceptual road map to guide development, prioritize URD investments in transportation infrastructure, housing, businesses, and other land uses Guides public and private investment in the urban renewal district

Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails statistically valid survey results

  • Survey conducted in 2024 by the University of Montana's Bureau of Business and Economic Research to assess Missoulians' outlook and priorities for their parks, recreation programs and facilities, open spaces, and trails

Do you have a question about this project?

Questions posted here will be answered.

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  • Share Hi, I am a long time resident i grew up here on the north side and my family has been apart of this community for more than century, i and many others have used the the parks especially the baseballfield for dog use and socializing with neighbors. On the behalf of all great dog owners in this community I'd like to say we hope it can remain fenced and be an appropriate dog park like it has been for the longest time. This is crucial for our furry friends to be happy as they are apart of this great community as well, it would not be the same without them. It is important to keep our dogs in this community healthy and let them run there zoomies out for some good exercise while at the same time letting time socialize to strengthen and make new tail waging friendships that they do so well at. I really hope we are keeping them in mind while making the new decisions about the parks especially the baseball field. It has not been the same since the removal of one side of the fence for the side walk construction, and it is dangerous because of the busy roads surrounding the park. It is very important that a fence needs to be required for future plans on the baseball field. I hope you understand how very important this is to me and many more people in this community we all are counting on it just as much as our dogs. Again please understand how much this means to us. Thanks on Facebook Share Hi, I am a long time resident i grew up here on the north side and my family has been apart of this community for more than century, i and many others have used the the parks especially the baseballfield for dog use and socializing with neighbors. On the behalf of all great dog owners in this community I'd like to say we hope it can remain fenced and be an appropriate dog park like it has been for the longest time. This is crucial for our furry friends to be happy as they are apart of this great community as well, it would not be the same without them. It is important to keep our dogs in this community healthy and let them run there zoomies out for some good exercise while at the same time letting time socialize to strengthen and make new tail waging friendships that they do so well at. I really hope we are keeping them in mind while making the new decisions about the parks especially the baseball field. It has not been the same since the removal of one side of the fence for the side walk construction, and it is dangerous because of the busy roads surrounding the park. It is very important that a fence needs to be required for future plans on the baseball field. I hope you understand how very important this is to me and many more people in this community we all are counting on it just as much as our dogs. Again please understand how much this means to us. Thanks on Twitter Share Hi, I am a long time resident i grew up here on the north side and my family has been apart of this community for more than century, i and many others have used the the parks especially the baseballfield for dog use and socializing with neighbors. On the behalf of all great dog owners in this community I'd like to say we hope it can remain fenced and be an appropriate dog park like it has been for the longest time. This is crucial for our furry friends to be happy as they are apart of this great community as well, it would not be the same without them. It is important to keep our dogs in this community healthy and let them run there zoomies out for some good exercise while at the same time letting time socialize to strengthen and make new tail waging friendships that they do so well at. I really hope we are keeping them in mind while making the new decisions about the parks especially the baseball field. It has not been the same since the removal of one side of the fence for the side walk construction, and it is dangerous because of the busy roads surrounding the park. It is very important that a fence needs to be required for future plans on the baseball field. I hope you understand how very important this is to me and many more people in this community we all are counting on it just as much as our dogs. Again please understand how much this means to us. Thanks on Linkedin Email Hi, I am a long time resident i grew up here on the north side and my family has been apart of this community for more than century, i and many others have used the the parks especially the baseballfield for dog use and socializing with neighbors. On the behalf of all great dog owners in this community I'd like to say we hope it can remain fenced and be an appropriate dog park like it has been for the longest time. This is crucial for our furry friends to be happy as they are apart of this great community as well, it would not be the same without them. It is important to keep our dogs in this community healthy and let them run there zoomies out for some good exercise while at the same time letting time socialize to strengthen and make new tail waging friendships that they do so well at. I really hope we are keeping them in mind while making the new decisions about the parks especially the baseball field. It has not been the same since the removal of one side of the fence for the side walk construction, and it is dangerous because of the busy roads surrounding the park. It is very important that a fence needs to be required for future plans on the baseball field. I hope you understand how very important this is to me and many more people in this community we all are counting on it just as much as our dogs. Again please understand how much this means to us. Thanks link

    Hi, I am a long time resident i grew up here on the north side and my family has been apart of this community for more than century, i and many others have used the the parks especially the baseballfield for dog use and socializing with neighbors. On the behalf of all great dog owners in this community I'd like to say we hope it can remain fenced and be an appropriate dog park like it has been for the longest time. This is crucial for our furry friends to be happy as they are apart of this great community as well, it would not be the same without them. It is important to keep our dogs in this community healthy and let them run there zoomies out for some good exercise while at the same time letting time socialize to strengthen and make new tail waging friendships that they do so well at. I really hope we are keeping them in mind while making the new decisions about the parks especially the baseball field. It has not been the same since the removal of one side of the fence for the side walk construction, and it is dangerous because of the busy roads surrounding the park. It is very important that a fence needs to be required for future plans on the baseball field. I hope you understand how very important this is to me and many more people in this community we all are counting on it just as much as our dogs. Again please understand how much this means to us. Thanks

    Reed asked 6 months ago

    Hi Reed and thank you for your comment! At our design workshops, we heard similar emphasis from many people on the need for a full-sized fenced dog park in the Northside. We also heard during outreach for this project that residents believe it's important to balance safe spaces for our dogs to play and recreate with safe spaces for people to play and recreate. The Parks, Recreation, Open Space, and Trails 2024 statistically valid survey found that 33% of Missoulian's say off leash dogs were a barrier to their household's use of a park, trail, open space, or recreational facility, up from 18% in 2018. This all told us that a dog park was an essential part of the planning for the Northside's parks, and that careful consideration was needed to determine the best location for it. We determined that the new park on North Scott Street is the optimal location due to the high density of pet owners without private yards in that area of the Northside.

  • Share Hi I live on the Northside and will not be able to attend the design meeting tomorrow. I would really like to see pickleball courts put in at the North Scott street location. I believe it is far away enough away from housing to not be an issue. I believe the courts will be heavily used as are all of the pickleball courts in Missoula. The Northside does not have any public Pickleball courts currently and would greatly benefit from their addition. Thank you for your time. on Facebook Share Hi I live on the Northside and will not be able to attend the design meeting tomorrow. I would really like to see pickleball courts put in at the North Scott street location. I believe it is far away enough away from housing to not be an issue. I believe the courts will be heavily used as are all of the pickleball courts in Missoula. The Northside does not have any public Pickleball courts currently and would greatly benefit from their addition. Thank you for your time. on Twitter Share Hi I live on the Northside and will not be able to attend the design meeting tomorrow. I would really like to see pickleball courts put in at the North Scott street location. I believe it is far away enough away from housing to not be an issue. I believe the courts will be heavily used as are all of the pickleball courts in Missoula. The Northside does not have any public Pickleball courts currently and would greatly benefit from their addition. Thank you for your time. on Linkedin Email Hi I live on the Northside and will not be able to attend the design meeting tomorrow. I would really like to see pickleball courts put in at the North Scott street location. I believe it is far away enough away from housing to not be an issue. I believe the courts will be heavily used as are all of the pickleball courts in Missoula. The Northside does not have any public Pickleball courts currently and would greatly benefit from their addition. Thank you for your time. link

    Hi I live on the Northside and will not be able to attend the design meeting tomorrow. I would really like to see pickleball courts put in at the North Scott street location. I believe it is far away enough away from housing to not be an issue. I believe the courts will be heavily used as are all of the pickleball courts in Missoula. The Northside does not have any public Pickleball courts currently and would greatly benefit from their addition. Thank you for your time.

    Olin H asked 6 months ago

    Olin, thank you for your comment! At the design workshops, we heard from Northside and Westside residents that a multi-use sport court would be a valuable part of the new park. For neighborhood parks like the new park on North Scott will be, we typically invest in multi-purpose courts rather than single purpose courts to serve a wider range of users while stewarding available funding. For example, at Franklin Park, the recent court project made the court usable for both basketball and futsal. The court at MRL Park can be used for pickleball and basketball. For the Master Plan of the new park on North Scott Street, we are including a multi-use court footprint but not yet specifying which sports. 

Page last updated: 02 May 2025, 09:47 AM