Elk Valley Ranch Subdivision in Frenchtown
The Missoula County commissioners approved this proposal at their Oct. 5, 2023, public meeting.
Elk Valley Ranch is a 14-lot residential subdivision in Frenchtown located on a 32-acre tract at 23968 Frenchtown Frontage Road proposed by JLL Investments LLC and represented by IMEG. This property is currently vacant with some agricultural use and a billboard on site. Development surrounding the property is residential and agricultural, with the Frenchtown Frontage Road and Interstate 90 bordering the property to the south.
The lots will be served by individual septic systems and private wells, and the subdivision will be accessed by the two unnamed approaches off Frenchtown Frontage Road that are generally east of Calamity Lane and west of Conniption Road. Other than these two approaches, there will be a “no-access strip” on the southern property boundary along Frenchtown Frontage Road to minimize visual impacts and safety hazards.
This area is unzoned, and though designated as “Open and Resource Space” in the 2002 Regional Land Use Guide, it is also located in the Huson Activity Center, which supports residences of up to two dwellings per acre in areas next to Frenchtown and Huson. Keeping this in mind, the developers are proposing “allowable build zones” to minimize adverse impacts of residential development on adjacent agricultural areas, and to create a wildlife buffer. This is also like other land uses in the area.
The property is not located in any floodplain, and the northwest corner of the property has land with slopes greater than 25%, which will be designated as “no build” zones.
Read the developer’s proposal in the Documents section.
The Missoula Consolidated Planning Board heard this proposal and recommended it for approval on Sept. 19.
The Missoula County commissioners approved this proposal on Oct. 5. Watch the meeting on the County's YouTube channel.
Let us know your thoughts on the Elk Valley Ranch Subdivision proposal.
The Missoula County commissioners approved this proposal at their Oct. 5, 2023, public meeting.
The Missoula County commissioners approved this proposal at their public meeting on Oct. 5, 2023.
Who's Listening
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Phone 406-258-4946 Email jdixon@missoulacounty.us
How sad it is to see our beautiful agricultural pastures being subdivided over and over again. I have lived in the Six- mile valley for 46 years and have seen changes that have totally changed the landscape and the way of life that we were so proud of. More houses, more traffic, more conflict with wildlife and the land that they depend on. What is going to happen to our grasslands that provide hay and grazing for cattle and our wildlife? Once this beautiful property is subdivided it can never been returned to the bountiful living space for our elk, deer, meadow birds, wild turkeys, and numerous other species of wildlife. Let’s keep Montana a place that we will always cherish for its beauty and space. We don’t need more homes cluttering our landscape and disrupting and changing the rural community that we so cherish. I strongly urge everyone to reconsider this project and keep our rural community and way of life from more subdivisions.
Any developer in Missoula County needs to financially responsible for increasing the infrustructure of the city/county that would be needed by the increase in population that follows any new deveopment. This includes hiring more emergency responders like police/fire dept., along with their associationed buidings, any new roads or improving any existing roads, building larger schools and hiring new teachers/staff, etc., etc., The property owners of Missoula should not be subsidizing the profits of developers or anyone else. We are already struggling to pay our property taxes.
IMEG Corp.
Attn: Tamara Ross -Civil Designer/Planning Technician
1817 South Avenue West
Missoula MT. 59801
June 23, 2023
RE: Elk Valley Ranch Subdivision
1. The North Hills Elk herd would be adversely affected by this subdivision. The 32 acres proposed for development is a major and long-standing wildlife corridor for this herd. Additionally, American Kestrels use the property, along with hawks and bald eagles. Fox have been seen in the fields, deer, bear, blue herons, and the occasional mountain lion have used the property on a regular basis as well.
2. The parcel also sits within the whitetail deer winter rangeplan.
3. The Frenchtown School is over capacity. There have been several subdivisions recently approved by Missoula County that will adversely affect the ability of the Frenchtown School district to effectively mitigate more students coming into an already overcrowded, underfunded school. If this subdivision is approved at the 16-home proposed density, it will add additional students to an already over pressured school district.
4. The Frenchtown Frontage Road is not adequately patrolled by Missoula County Law enforcement. This subdivision has one way in and one way out. The design will have adverse effects related to the additional traffic it will create on the Frenchtown Frontage Road.
5. The proposed subdivision does not allow for continued agricultural production. A “hobby” farm does not equate to adequately producing hay. Due to several subdivisions being approved in the West Valley, agriculture land is being significantly diminished. Agriculture has been a long-standing way of life in this rural community. Continuing to pass subdivisions that take away ag production will further diminish the rural in nature feel of the West Valley. This proposed subdivision is no exception.
6. The Frontage Road redesign and construction took over twelve years to come to fruition. The section of the Frontage Road adjacent to the proposed subdivision was not part of the redesign and construction. Construction vehicles going to and from the proposed subdivisions job sites will have adverse effects on traffic. The bike path ends at the Huson Exit. The increase in traffic will have dangerous consequences for pedestrians, cyclists, and horseback riding. The increase in traffic includes the adverse effects of the construction vehicles contending with school buses, commuters to Missoula, children walking and cycling to school as well as other pedestrians that frequent the area for recreation.
7. The West Valley has seen the fragmentation of wildlife corridors, if this subdivision is approved it will be, yet another wildlife corridor diminished. Wildlife do not read signs; they are creatures of habit and return to this corridor year after year. Covenants built into the development that claim to address wildlife impacts as best they can, simply are ineffective. Pushing migrating wildlife away from this corridor will result in many more traffic related wildlife incidents. The property is adjacent to a four-lane interstate that will likely see wildlife trying to cross to find rangeland if this subdivision is approved.
8. The West Valley has seen the continued fragmentation of open space with the approval of several new subdivisions. This proposed subdivision is no exception and will adversely affect the rural and open space characteristics that people in this area appreciate.
There was a letter submitted from the WVCC summarizing concerns that were raised during a community conversation regarding this proposed subdivision. The concerns are not addressed because the letter was omitted from the planning documents.