County signs off on city’s purchase of 16 acres on Clark Fork
Martin Kidston
(Missoula Current) Sixteen acres of shoreline property on the Clark Fork River moved closer to public owned on Tuesday after Missoula County commissioners “approved and concurred” the city's use of open-space funding to secure the parcel.
The Tipp property sits off the Kim Williams trail just east of Missoula and is prized for its recreational and conservation values. The City Council in April approved using $112,000 in funding from the 2006 and 2018 open space bonds to secure the site.
As required, the county gave the acquisition a thumbs up.
“The inter-local agreement clearly identifies which projects are within the city's purview and which are not, and which might be candidates jointly,” Commissioner Dave Strohmaier said. “This one abuts a city trail system and is next to the city, and it's in an area that's the solely responsibility of the city.”
The project's total cost is roughly $230,000, though the landowner is donating more than half the value. A majority of the property sits in the floodplain, limiting its development potential.
But the site's recreational values are high, officials have said.
“The city's future plans for using some of that area for onshore recreation and kids programming is great,” said Commissioner Josh Slotnick. “It's a beach-side area that otherwise wouldn't be available.”
While the 16-acre parcel sits outside city limits, advocates have said it's close enough to provide a community benefit. Some members of City Council have questioned using the city's share of open space funding for acquisitions outside city limits.
The issue surfaced last summer when City Council considered using roughly $344,000 in open space funds to help conserve a 1,600-acre ranch north of the Wye. The purchase was ultimately approved based upon the site's habitat, forests and scenic views.
The Tipp property provides its own benefits, the county said.
“There's some confusion that city limits are the line, and that's not the case,” Slotnick said of open-space purchases. “The line separating the two isn't city limits, but it's actually quite larger than city limits. This is squarely within the city's area.”