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— by Celeste River, F/PC Community Forum Representative T he Community Forum of Neighborhood Councils is made up of one representative (and one alternate) from each of Missoula’s 16 Neighborhood Councils. This system of citizen and community representation and participation was established in 1997 in the City of Missoula Charter, Article VI. The Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighbor- hood Council was started in 1999, one year after I moved to Farviews from the University District, where I had lived since 1979. Because few people have been willing to volunteer to serve on the Neighborhood Council, I have been on it since the beginning, and have met many friendly people in our neighborhoods because of it. In January, 2003 when Kathy Gillispie resigned her position on the Community Forum there was no one else to fill the role so I took on the responsibility. Since then I have learned much about Farviews’ antiquated zoning and the Hillside Design Standards, in which lofty objective statements are not matched by clear rules and specifications. (See page 3 for further details and history.) On April 21, 2005 your Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council held a general meeting attended by 30 people. Two resolutions were unanimously approved, to be brought to the Community Forum, the City Council, and the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board. These resolutions will start a process intended to help preserve the sense of space and view that is paramount to the meaning of Farviews. LEADERSHIP TEAM Ray Aten (Spring ‘05-’07) . . . . . . . 721-0531 Community Forum Alternate Nan Barber (Spring ‘04-’06) . . . . . 543-2552 Mary Barnett (Spring ‘04-’06) . . . . 721-6667 Tim Lovely (Spring ‘04-’06) . . . . . . 542-2370 Celeste River (Spring ‘04-’06) . . . . 721-7528 Community Forum Representative Eileen Zak (Spring ‘04-’06) . . . . . . 543-1989 BOUNDARY MAP NORTH EAST SOUTH NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL AND LEADERSHIP TEAM COMPOSITION BYLAWS – ARTICLE 3, SECTIONS 1 & 2 (paraphrased) The Neighborhood Council includes all residents of the area and one voting representative from every business, church, neighborhood association, or other organization located within the designated geographical district of the Farviews/ Pattee Canyon area, as described above. BYLAWS – ARTICLE 4, SECTION 1 (paraphrased) The Leadership Team shall consist of between five and seven persons. Any Neighborhood Council member may serve. It shall reflect diversity in both age and gender; represent both residential and commercial interests; and attempt to include, at least, a homeowner, a renter, a landlord, and a business owner from within the geographic area. BOUNDARY (described in BYLAWS 1.2) – The Farviews / Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council encompasses the area on both sides of Pattee Canyon Drive to Higgins, west along the south side of SW Higgins Avenue to Hillview Way, up the east side of Hillview Way to both sides of Woodbine Place, east then up to the southern boundary of Mansion Heights, then down hill to the city limits on Pattee Canyon Drive. To view complete Neighborhood Council Map www.missoula-neighborhoods.org FARVIEWS / PATTEE CANYON NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS 2005 SPRING www.missoula-neighborhoods.org Celeste River Our Neighborhood Council by-laws allow for one more Leadership Team member. To nominate yourself or a friend please contact us through the City Office of Neighborhoods at 258-4917. • Status of resolution for review, revision, and enforced adherence to “Hillside Design Standards.” • Status of resolution on zoning height change from 40’ to 30’ to help protect views in Farviews. • Future of “pocket parks” and open space in our Dean Stone Mountain hillside neighborhoods. • Vote on bylaw changes for City of Missoula’s Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council. • Do you want the City to adopt a “Neighborhood Growth Plan” to preserve the character and views of the Farviews historic hillside neighborhood? It takes informed and involved neighbors—to do it. Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID TM What do you want our hillside neighborhoods to look like ten years from now ? Will “FARVIEWS” be an anachronism by 2015 ? — IMPORTANT NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORY INSIDE — Come to your Neighborhood Council meeting to learn more. 2003 — before . . . . . . after — 2004 Visit the Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council Web Page at w w w.missoula-neighborhoods.org Missoula, MT 59803 June 2nd Thursday 7:00 p.m. UM’s Lewis & Clark Village Community Center 3000 So. Higgins AGENDA SOME HISTORY ABOUT THE FARVIEWS HILLSIDE ALLOWABLE BUILDING HEIGHT ---PAGE BREAK--- Pattee Canyon Traffic Calming Project Residents on Pattee Canyon Drive recently petitioned the City to consider traffic calming measures to address high speeds and safety concerns on our street. A meeting was held May 5th. City Engineer Steve King and Bike/Ped Coordinator Phil Smith were present to explain the City’s traffic calming program and listen to residents’ concerns. Twelve people attended, and most said speed is a problem on Pattee Canyon Drive (city) and Road (county, past the gravel pit). Pedestrian safety (especially for kids walking to school and at bus stops), bicycle safety, and noise were also concerns. Specific problem areas included the intersection of Whitaker and Pattee Canyon, and the Mt. Sentinel trailhead near the gravel pit. What is Traffic Calming? Traffic calming objectives include slowing traffic; reducing cut-through traffic; increasing safety for pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles; reducing traffic noise; and improving aesthetics. This is achieved through a combination of engineering, enforcement, and education. Some of the engineering techniques include curb extensions, traffic circles, speed humps, chicanes, bike lanes, and special signing. Because Pattee Canyon Drive is a collector street, not all traffic calming techniques will be appropriate (such as traffic circles or speed humps). However, there are still many things that can be done to improve the safety, quality, and livability of our street. What’s next? The City will perform a traffic study to accurately determine traffic speeds on Pattee Canyon Drive. A working group of residents will look at specific problem areas and develop a conceptual design for traffic calming devices. If approved by the City, these devices would first be installed on a temporary basis (similar to what is currently on Pattee Creek Drive), then evaluated to see if they address the problem. Permanent devices would be installed if they appear to be effective and are supported by the neighborhood. The project includes Pattee Canyon Drive from Higgins up to the gravel pit. For more information, visit the City’s website at www.ci.missoula.mt.us/publicworks/calming.htm, of contact Jeremy Keene at or 240-6721. N eighbors continue to work on restora- tion of the Little White House in Whitaker Park, at the corner of Whitaker and 39th Street, to use for neighborhood and citywide activities, such as workshops, meetings, socials, classes, and literary readings. Historic designation is being sought for the structure, which was built in 1936 as a radio relay station for the U.S. Forest Ser- vice. A history of the house has been written by retired Forest Service employee, Edward Heilman, in order to apply to the Na- tional Register of Historic Places. Missoula Parks & Recreation has owned the house since it was donated to the city in 1975 by the Forest Service, and used it as a storage site while the structure fell into disrepair. A grant from The Missoulian and another from the cityʼs Community Forum of Neighborhood Councils helped start up the restoration process. This summer Parks and Rec will scrape and paint the outside of the building. Until that job is finished, and the old lead paint is removed, the fence that has been set up around the building will remain. Licensed painters who know about removal of lead paint could speed up the job by volunteering to help the Parks Dept. Meanwhile, architect Steve Adler and woodworker Larry Wade have helped to begin restoration of the house. Members of Gillispieʼs Girl Scout troop have primed the new shutters made by Wade, that have cut-out pine trees in them just like the historic originals. A painting party will take place on Saturday, June 4th. Neighborhood kids can help paint the shutters green. Call Kathy Gillispie at 549-8747 if your child would like to join in the fun. Working together on worthy projects like this strengthens the character of our neighborhoods. Of course, any ideas or financial help are appreciated. To participate contact Kathy Gillispie. Bulletin Board — News & Announcements www.missoula-neighborhoods.org Spring 2005 Page 2 THE LITTLE WHITE HOUSE NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT FUNDS The City of Missoula offers Neighborhood Project Grants, up to $3000, to neighborhood organizations, Neighborhood Councils, non-profit groups, and others, for projects in neighborhoods that benefit city residents. These grants are intended for capital projects including physical improvements, studies or workshops to plan improvements, research, and neighborhood events. The goal is to substantially complete projects in one year. Grants this year included $3,000 to improve the caretakerʼs house at the Moon/Randolph Homestead; $3,000 for two bear re- sistant trash containers in the Rattlesnake ; $3,000 to beautify the intersection at Plymouth and Mount; $2,742 for work on Meadow Hill Park and Community Garden; $3,000 for a bike and pedestrian bridge over the irrigation ditch by Franklin Park; and $2,792 to pay for professional planning services to implement zoning guidelines in the Historic Southside Neighborhood Plan. A citizen committee reviews and ranks all proposals received and makes recommenda- tions to the Community Forum and City Council. UPDATE Street Cleaning for Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhoods May 24, 25, 26, 27 — July 26, 27, 28, 29 — Sept. 13, 14, 15, 16 LOCAL GOVERNMENT STUDY COMMISSION (LGSC) The LGSC meets regularly on the 3rd Wednesday of the month in City Council Chambers at 7:00 p.m. What improvements would you like to see in our local government and the way it functions? Your views and input are important. See the LGSC website at www.ci.missoula.mt.us/LGSC or call 258-4917. NUMBERS TO CALL FOR WEED CONCERNS: Weeds in parks • Rob Thames 258-4969 Weeds on private property • Peggy Diamond 258-4927 IF YOU WANT TO KNOW what’s happening in your neigh- borhood regarding construction, variances, zoning, signage for businesses, etc., join your Neighborhood Council Leadership Team. The Office of Planning and Grants is required to give Public Notice to Neighborhood Councils for upcoming City and County activities such as: Variance and Special Exception Requests; Appeals of Administrative Decisions; Signage Packag- es; Adoption/Amendment of Growth Policy; Zoning/Subdivision Regulation Revisions; Creating and Amending Zoning Designa- tions; and other projects as well. See the Public Notice Matrix on the OPG website at www.co.missoula.mt.us/opgweb. www.missoula-neighborhoods.org Page 3 Spring 2005 Farviews/Pattee Canyon Neighborhood Council includes a number of sizeable neighborhoods that are familiar, and a few smallers ones tucked in here and there on the city zoning map. Throughout the area the zoning varies. The first neighborhood was Farviews Homesites which was platted in 1945. It generally covers the area from Whitaker and West Artemos on the north to 39th and Crestline Drive on the south, and from West Artemos on the west to Pattee Canyon Drive on the east. Other “neighborhoods” are Pattee Canyon Addi- tion, east of Pattee Canyon Drive; Mosby’s Leisure Highlands Addition from the north edge of the golf course to Ben Hogan Drive, and Highland Park on the east to Whitaker Drive on the west; High Park, between Whitaker Drive and High Park Way, and 39th and Parkview Way (part of which was rezoned from to “R-I” in 2000); Mountain Shadows, a newer de- velopment between High Park Way and Hillview Way; and Mansion Heights. The section of zoning map on this page does not include Mountain Shadows, which is zoned “RR-I” (Restricted One-family Residential District). This area was “protected” by covenants while first being devel- oped, but people living there have said they learned that covenants are only as good as your homeowner’s association, and the lawyers and legal fees the neigh- bors are willing to pay to enforce compliance. JUNE 6, 2000 — REZONING REQUEST, HIGH PARK NO. 1, FROM TO “R-I” — MISSOULA CONSOLIDATED PLANNING BOARD 3) When former City Councilman Larry Anderson (‘94 -’99) stood before the Planning Board with his “citizen initiated” rezoning re- quest, a neighbor on Parkview Way spoke in favor of the change. She said: “One of those projects that went up recently had much more of an effect on our property than I thought it would. We live on the same side of the street, a couple of houses down and yet having a building extend just 10 feet higher really closed in our property and I would hate to have that happen in any other proper- ties close to us. It affected us a lot more than I thought and it affected a lot of our neighbors. So, I think when you talk about main- taining or creating a character of the neighborhood, the zoning change would actually protect the character of the neighborhood.” OPG staff then described that there are two ways height could be determined. One was “absolute,” the other, “modified.” Now there is a third way, not defined anywhere in zoning, that is termed “hillside,” yet that method can actually allow a hillside structure to finish out as much as eight feet higher than the declared height, because of technicalities in the determination of “finished grade.” Farviews Area Showing Zone A and High Park Area West of Whitaker Changed to R-I THE NEIGHBORHOODS HISTORIC FACTS ABOUT FARVIEWS NEIGHBORHOOD • Original district zoning was passed in 1932. • Farviews was platted in 1945. • First homes were built in mid-late 1940s. • Farviews was annexed into the city in 1956. • zoning was applied to Farviews July 21, 1958. • Covenants held in Farviews from 1940s — 1980s. • Covenants 1945: design and location shall conform to and be in harmony with the existing structures in the tract. • Covenants 1949: dwelling not to exceed 2 “stories” in height. This clearly meant or levels or floors. • Houses conformed to established character of neighborhood, respected rights of view of others.