Chickasaw Place

A subdivision on 9.4 acres of exceptional farmland in the Orchard Homes community .

     The original Chickasaw proposal, sketched at right, would have converted every square inch of farmland to residential uses.  The developer proposed 30 lots, averaging roughly a 1/4 acre.  A year ago, this proposal might have been quickly approved.  Even though this design is much denser than the surrounding land uses, it reflects the kind of development that Missoula is seeing sprawl across the urban fringe, where lies some of the County's best farmland.

     CFAC recommended that Chickasaw Place be denied as proposed.  We went on to suggest that the 5 acres on the eastern half of the property could be conserved as a way to reduce the loss of fertile soil, while clustering houses on the western portion of the property.  (See our agency review letter dated May 14, 2008.)

 Chickasaw Place--The Original Proposal

     Missoula's Office of Planning & Grants (OPG) recommended that the 3 acres of farmland in the Southeast corner be permanently protected for agriculture--pictured at left.  OPG specified that the minimum width of the Ag Parcel be at least 290 feet.  (See pages 4-5 of the OPG Report.) This is an important detail for two reasons:

1. It is where the most farmable land is on the whole property.  Although important agricultural soils cover the entire 9.4 acres, the 3 acres in the SE corner stand out as the best for farming due to the existing well, flat topography, soil integrity, and road access.
2. The configuration with a 290-foot width is more versatile and amenable to food production.  It would be more conducive to using a tractor, irrigation lines, and planning crop rotations.

     The Ag Parcel would not have any development value, thus making it more affordable to a farmer.  Many growers lease land in this area of Orchard Homes, since the ground is so fertile, many plots have access to irrigation wells or ditches, and there are many places live nearby.

     At the last minute of a full year process, City Council allowed the developer to place a 1/4-acre lot on the best farmland so that the Ag Parcel could be sold as part of a residential estate.  Notice that the Ag Parcel still totals 3 acres.  But it no longer incudes all of the best farmland (a deep swale dominates most of the strip in the Northeast corner), and the shape is not nearly as versatile or amenable for agricultural use.  For these reasons, CFAC recommended that City Council either return the Agricultural Parcel to its original design with a 290-foot minimum width, or that the subdivision be denied.  (See our written comments from April 30, 2009.)

     Dave Strohmaier and Jason Wiener tried to remove the 1/4-acre residence from the Ag Parcel, but no other city councilors supported the motion.  (See page 5 of the Plat, Annexation & Zoning Committee's meeting minutes on May 13, 2009.)

     Clearly, it was frustrating to see the integrity of the protected agricultural land compomised in the Council Chambers at the eleventh hour.  Nevertheless, protecting 3 acres of farmland is a significant, if incremental, step in the right direction.

     CFAC is eager to work with OPG, developers, elected officials, landowners and residents on policies and land use tools that will comprehensively and proactively conserve farm and ranchlands for the future of Missoula County, while also providing predictability to developers, planners, and eaters.