FAQs

In 2007 and 2009, at the request of the former property owners, the City annexed the two properties in conjunction with preliminary approval of the Clark Fork Terrace phased subdivisions. The subdivision phases, which were required to be completed by 2019, were not completed and all preliminary approvals have expired. 

Per Montana State Law (MCA 7-2-4801-10), landowners can petition cities to de-annex their land, which that city must then decide on at a public meeting. The owners of Tracts 2 and 3 of Certificate of Survey No. 5850 submitted petitions to exclude and remove those tracts and adjacent Deer Creek Road right-of-way from the City of Missoula municipal boundary due to the inability of the municipal water system in this area to meet the required 1,500 gallons per minute at 20 pounds per square inch fire flow. The properties are constrained by floodplain, a high-pressure gas pipeline and overhead electrical transmission towers, and the City Public Works and Mobility Department has indicated hesitancy to add more flow in this location to serve development without major, cost prohibitive improvements. Therefore, the property owners seek to remove their land from City limits and pursue low density agricultural and residential development in the County that does not require major infrastructure improvements.

Yes, there is a process to be re-annexed into the City that the landowners would have to request. 

The determination was based on recent public feedback during the zoning regulation adoption completed in 2022. Staff had public comments from the community on what they envisioned this area to look like in terms of land uses. Additionally, staff made the determination based on several factors, including existing surrounding uses and infrastructure, and in discussion with the current property owners on what their current and future uses of the properties would be.