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Public Comment Related to Vehicle Access
Thank you for your continued public comment regarding vehicle access through Rosecrest Park. Missoula County Parks, Trails and Open Lands (PTOL) has compiled and reviewed all public comment received, whether by email, phone call, survey or public meetings. Public comments are retained in PTOL's records to inform future management decisions at Rosecrest Park.
Additionally, all public comment received prior to the November 2022 Missoula County Parks and Trails Advisory Board (P&T Board) meeting, in addition to public and board comment provided at the meeting itself, was entered into the public record of that meeting. This record of public comment will be used by the P&T Board to inform future policy decisions regarding vehicle access for the County’s system of parks.
Requests to Authorize Vehicle Access
The gate off 37th street into Rosecrest Park will remain unlocked through 2023. However, unauthorized vehicle use is still prohibited. Vehicle use may be considered for authorization on a case-by-case basis by requesting written approval from PTOL staff for a specific use, frequency and duration. To request consideration for authorized access, contact 258-4657 or email countyparks@missoulacounty.us. PTOL will address these requests as quickly as possible with the goal of responding with a decision within two business days. Please keep in mind that some requests may need additional time for review, including a site visit or followup conversations.
PTOL requests notification as soon as possible of vehicle access for any emergencies that arise outside of PTOL business hours by emailing or calling the same contact information provided above and leaving a message to inform them about the actions that took place. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Emergencies are items that cannot wait until the next business day, such as downed utilities, medical emergencies and domestic waterline and sewer repairs. Residential projects, such as landscaping or home improvements, that take place outside of PTOL’s regular business hours do not constitute emergencies and require a request for authorization.
In 2023, PTOL and the P&T Board will develop specific steps for reviewing landowner requests for authorization of vehicle access or other nonconforming uses in Missoula County parks through limited use agreements. While limited use agreements will be used sparingly and under narrowly defined guidelines, they may be an opportunity to authorize limited, non-permanent access for certain nonconforming activities to reduce the need for frequent case-by-case requests.
Because there is no formal, long-term access authorized through the park, PTOL highly discourages establishing or expanding any structures or uses on your property that depend on ongoing vehicle access through the park. Ongoing access will be problematic to you and future property owners.
PTOL Maintenance Activities
PTOL will take the following maintenance measures:
- Adding park name signage at Clements Avenue
- Installing Mutt Mitt Stations and Park Rules signs and a sign stating “No Unauthorized Vehicles” at 37th Street and Clements Avenue entrances
- Mowing a path through the park at least twice a year
Other Considerations
As part of the Missoula County park system, Rosecrest Park serves an important function for its pedestrian connectivity and as a neighborhood greenway and open space. Your public comment has shown the County that Rosecrest Park also has value to adjacent landowners that is outside of the mission of PTOL, primarily in providing vehicle access to private properties. To that end, the County is willing to gauge the adjacent landowners’ interest in a sale and transfer of the parkland to an individual or entity who can hold the land as a deed-restricted common area. The land would need to be maintained as open space lands with a public trail easement, but management decisions beyond those restrictions would lie with the property owner(s).
It is not PTOL’s goal to develop or shepherd a land sale and transfer. If you as a neighboring landowner are interested in such a transfer, talk with your neighbors to determine if there is sufficient interest and financial resources among the property owners to make this happen and then contact us with next steps.
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Missoula County park rules prohibit public motorized use in all Missoula County parks. Limited motorized use is allowed in situations where a park has, for example, a parking lot or where park maintenance staff or other County-authorized individuals need access for specific, approved purposes.
Unauthorized vehicle access and encroachments have been an issue at Rosecrest Park due in part to the nature of the original Roseland Addition subdivision, which is built on a sloped bench, making it easier to access some backyards through the parkland. There are no subdivision park files or any official records that envision or approve motorized use at Rosecrest Park.
- Vehicles primarily access the park on the eastern edge off 37th Avenue. At this location, a two-tire track is well worn into the landscape [see the photo “Street View from 37th Ave”]. Landowners also have a pattern of irrigating and mowing the park as extensions of their backyards. Landowners living next to the park use it on a routine or seasonal basis for a number of reasons.
- Vehicles do not access the western edge of the park off Clements Avenue. At this location, the park meets the classification of a greenway/open space park for pedestrian use [see the photo “Street View from Clements Ave”].
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Rosecrest Park came into County ownership in 1962 during the creation of the Roseland Addition #2 subdivision, where the homes sit immediately adjacent to the park’s southern boundary. A second 0.3-acre parcel was added to the park in 2002 from the Pony Place subdivision to give trail access to the park from the north.
In the 2012 Missoula County Parks and Trails Master Plan, Rosecrest Park is classified as a “Greenway/Open Space” park. Greenway/Open Space parks are managed and maintained for conservation, open space, multi-use trails, pedestrian access and activity, habitat preservation and recreation dependent on natural features.
Then, the recent 2022 Missoula County Pathways and Trails Master Plan identifies the need to complete the trail connection between the shared-use path on Clements Avenue and the trails at Big Sky Park and DNRC. Rosecrest Park would be an ideal, safe option for this trail connection because it fits with the park’s classification and levels of service, there are no utilities preventing construction or maintenance, no need to obtain right-of-way, and it is not next to a road. Missoula County Parks, Trails and Open Lands would like to move Rosecrest Park in the direction of a safe neighborhood connection and eventually apply for state grant funds to support this. If a trail can be constructed, PTOL would budget funding to maintain the trail.
