Swan Valley Planning Committee

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Take the survey! Use the important links tab on the right-hand side of the screen or find a link at the bottom of the page to take the Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan Visioning Questionnaire. The survey deadline has been extended and is open until Friday, January 3rd, 2025.

Follow this page to stay up-to-date on the Swan Valley Planning Committee, and let the Swan Valley Planning Committee know your thoughts or questions on various planning topics discussed at their meetings.

Message from the Swan Valley Planning Committee to the Swan Valley Community, November, 2024:

Dear Neighbor,

On behalf of the Planning Committee of the Swan Valley Community Council, the Missoula County Planning Department recently mailed you a questionnaire. We now write to you to encourage you to complete the questionnaire and assist the Planning Committee in its effort to update the 1996 Neighborhood Plan and clearly communicate our vision and preferences to our County Commissioners.

Past planning surveys have asked the questions ---"What do you love about the Swan? What do you value the most? Why do you live here?”--- And the answers have rarely varied over time.

Why are we doing this now? Two reasons, first, it is a requirement of Missoula County’s rural communities to update their Neighborhood plan every 5 years, but secondly, we have recently experienced a large business wanting to move into our valley that, along with the increased recreation over the past few years, could drastically change the Swan Valley.

Since the 1996 Neighborhood Plan was approved, Swan Valley has already changed in tremendous ways, especially in the last 10 years. For example, The Montana Legacy project transferred 62,000 acres of Plum Creek/Northern Pacific Railway land to the Forest Service making 92% of the watershed of the Upper Swan River in federal ownership; Logging has declined as a major employer; and Pyramid Mountain Lumber mill in Seeley Lake has now closed. Amidst these changes, how do we maintain our widely held values?

Maintain minimum parcel sizes?

  • Expand conservation easements?
  • Manage well and septic system requirements?
  • Encourage the availability of affordable housing?
  • Attract family run businesses and younger families?

The way to preserve what we have today, and continue to have a healthy and vibrant community, is to create a strong and well-defined Neighborhood Plan with clear guidelines of what our preferences are in the Swan Valley community.

Creating an updated Neighborhood Plan is a good start, but it will not ensure the preservation of our valley, and our way of life, without specific enforceable rules like community development areas and defined wildlife corridors or other regulations clearly identified. If we don’t make choices and support with an enforceable plan, changes will still occur, and the outcomes may not be what is desired. Our efforts are therefore on:

Collecting the Swan Valley resident’s individual interests and values

  • Creating a solid Neighborhood plan describing our joint vision and strategies
  • Determining how to assure our community values can be upheld
  • Understanding how the choices we make will impact the health of the Swan Valley.

The Planning Committee is seeking community input as we develop recommendations in the forthcoming Neighborhood Plan. Filling in the mailed questionnaire is only one part of your opportunity to contribute. Next, two community meetings will be scheduled in the new year for you to provide input to the Plan.

For additional information, all the documents from the Swan Valley Planning committee meetings, and the questionnaire, are available on the Missoula County Voice webpage and accessible through this link address: https://missoulacountyvoice.com/swan-valley-planning-committee. Additional copies of the questionnaire are available at the Community Hall and the Mission Mountain Mercantile. We are extending the deadline for completing the questionnaire to January 3, 2025, so that every individual can have an opportunity to complete it. The Planning Committee meetings are held the third Monday of each month at 5 pm, at the Community Center and are open to all.

Most importantly, talk to your neighbors, friends and family and decide what you want the future of our beautiful valley to look like and decide what actions you are willing to take, or support to help create that future.

Respectfully,

The Planning Committee of the Swan Valley Community Council


Planning Committee Members: Helene Michael, Luke Lamar, Grace Siloti, Gary Lazarowski, Joan McGuire, Marcia Tapp (non-voting member), Tom Parker, Jon Simon, Christian Spilker, Len Kobylenski, Christine Straube (non-voting member), Bill Lombardi, Jenny Rorher (non-voting member and note taker).


The Swan Valley Planning Committee is a sub-committee of the Swan Valley Community Council tasked with exploring ideas, opportunities, and applications for land use planning tools that could be developed to address residents’ concerns around growth in the Swan Valley.

Members of the Planning Committee were appointed by the Swan Valley Community Council on Nov. 21, 2023. They were directed to explore land use issues the community is most concerned about, and what planning tools might best address those issues. The Planning Committee determined to pursue updating the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood plan, which was approved by the Swan Valley Community Council.

This webpage is a place for the community to track the activities of the Planning Committee, find resources, such as the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan, and keep track of meeting times and dates. Planning Committee meetings are open to the public and are held at the Swan Valley Community Center. Find the agenda, meeting times, and dates for the Swan Valley Planning Committee meetings under the "key dates" widget on the right-hand side. When the Planning Committee is seeking engagement, comments made on this website will be forwarded to the Planning Committee.

The Planning Committee is currently working on updating the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan. The meetings are attended by Missoula County Planning, Development and Sustainability planners who provide the community with technical assistance.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month from 5-7 pm at the Swan Valley Community Center unless otherwise posted. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The public can also join the meetings using the Microsoft Teams link either by phone or on the computer:

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 270 993 601 168

Passcode: B2byax

Dial in by phone

+1 406-272-4824,,402442295# United States, Billings

(406) 272-4824,,402442295# United States (Toll-free)

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 402 442 295#

Join on a video conferencing device

Tenant key: 623215837@t.plcm.vc

Video ID: 117 733 824 7

More info

For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

Take the survey! Use the important links tab on the right-hand side of the screen or find a link at the bottom of the page to take the Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan Visioning Questionnaire. The survey deadline has been extended and is open until Friday, January 3rd, 2025.

Follow this page to stay up-to-date on the Swan Valley Planning Committee, and let the Swan Valley Planning Committee know your thoughts or questions on various planning topics discussed at their meetings.

Message from the Swan Valley Planning Committee to the Swan Valley Community, November, 2024:

Dear Neighbor,

On behalf of the Planning Committee of the Swan Valley Community Council, the Missoula County Planning Department recently mailed you a questionnaire. We now write to you to encourage you to complete the questionnaire and assist the Planning Committee in its effort to update the 1996 Neighborhood Plan and clearly communicate our vision and preferences to our County Commissioners.

Past planning surveys have asked the questions ---"What do you love about the Swan? What do you value the most? Why do you live here?”--- And the answers have rarely varied over time.

Why are we doing this now? Two reasons, first, it is a requirement of Missoula County’s rural communities to update their Neighborhood plan every 5 years, but secondly, we have recently experienced a large business wanting to move into our valley that, along with the increased recreation over the past few years, could drastically change the Swan Valley.

Since the 1996 Neighborhood Plan was approved, Swan Valley has already changed in tremendous ways, especially in the last 10 years. For example, The Montana Legacy project transferred 62,000 acres of Plum Creek/Northern Pacific Railway land to the Forest Service making 92% of the watershed of the Upper Swan River in federal ownership; Logging has declined as a major employer; and Pyramid Mountain Lumber mill in Seeley Lake has now closed. Amidst these changes, how do we maintain our widely held values?

Maintain minimum parcel sizes?

  • Expand conservation easements?
  • Manage well and septic system requirements?
  • Encourage the availability of affordable housing?
  • Attract family run businesses and younger families?

The way to preserve what we have today, and continue to have a healthy and vibrant community, is to create a strong and well-defined Neighborhood Plan with clear guidelines of what our preferences are in the Swan Valley community.

Creating an updated Neighborhood Plan is a good start, but it will not ensure the preservation of our valley, and our way of life, without specific enforceable rules like community development areas and defined wildlife corridors or other regulations clearly identified. If we don’t make choices and support with an enforceable plan, changes will still occur, and the outcomes may not be what is desired. Our efforts are therefore on:

Collecting the Swan Valley resident’s individual interests and values

  • Creating a solid Neighborhood plan describing our joint vision and strategies
  • Determining how to assure our community values can be upheld
  • Understanding how the choices we make will impact the health of the Swan Valley.

The Planning Committee is seeking community input as we develop recommendations in the forthcoming Neighborhood Plan. Filling in the mailed questionnaire is only one part of your opportunity to contribute. Next, two community meetings will be scheduled in the new year for you to provide input to the Plan.

For additional information, all the documents from the Swan Valley Planning committee meetings, and the questionnaire, are available on the Missoula County Voice webpage and accessible through this link address: https://missoulacountyvoice.com/swan-valley-planning-committee. Additional copies of the questionnaire are available at the Community Hall and the Mission Mountain Mercantile. We are extending the deadline for completing the questionnaire to January 3, 2025, so that every individual can have an opportunity to complete it. The Planning Committee meetings are held the third Monday of each month at 5 pm, at the Community Center and are open to all.

Most importantly, talk to your neighbors, friends and family and decide what you want the future of our beautiful valley to look like and decide what actions you are willing to take, or support to help create that future.

Respectfully,

The Planning Committee of the Swan Valley Community Council


Planning Committee Members: Helene Michael, Luke Lamar, Grace Siloti, Gary Lazarowski, Joan McGuire, Marcia Tapp (non-voting member), Tom Parker, Jon Simon, Christian Spilker, Len Kobylenski, Christine Straube (non-voting member), Bill Lombardi, Jenny Rorher (non-voting member and note taker).


The Swan Valley Planning Committee is a sub-committee of the Swan Valley Community Council tasked with exploring ideas, opportunities, and applications for land use planning tools that could be developed to address residents’ concerns around growth in the Swan Valley.

Members of the Planning Committee were appointed by the Swan Valley Community Council on Nov. 21, 2023. They were directed to explore land use issues the community is most concerned about, and what planning tools might best address those issues. The Planning Committee determined to pursue updating the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood plan, which was approved by the Swan Valley Community Council.

This webpage is a place for the community to track the activities of the Planning Committee, find resources, such as the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan, and keep track of meeting times and dates. Planning Committee meetings are open to the public and are held at the Swan Valley Community Center. Find the agenda, meeting times, and dates for the Swan Valley Planning Committee meetings under the "key dates" widget on the right-hand side. When the Planning Committee is seeking engagement, comments made on this website will be forwarded to the Planning Committee.

The Planning Committee is currently working on updating the 1996 Swan Valley Neighborhood Plan. The meetings are attended by Missoula County Planning, Development and Sustainability planners who provide the community with technical assistance.

Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month from 5-7 pm at the Swan Valley Community Center unless otherwise posted. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

The public can also join the meetings using the Microsoft Teams link either by phone or on the computer:

Microsoft Teams Need help?

Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 270 993 601 168

Passcode: B2byax

Dial in by phone

+1 406-272-4824,,402442295# United States, Billings

(406) 272-4824,,402442295# United States (Toll-free)

Find a local number

Phone conference ID: 402 442 295#

Join on a video conferencing device

Tenant key: 623215837@t.plcm.vc

Video ID: 117 733 824 7

More info

For organizers: Meeting options | Reset dial-in PIN

Page last updated: 16 Dec 2024, 02:14 PM