Planning director seeks feedback on growth plans at City Club Missoula

Roger Millar claims to have found out that the word “ufda” means, “I am overwhelmed.”

But finding the word in the dictionary, no matter how you spell it, is almost as big a challenge as trying to reach consensus on how Missoula should grow in the face of an expected 15,000 new households over the next 20 years.

Millar, director of the Office of Planning and Grants, gave a quick update on the Urban Fringe Development Area, or UFDA, at Monday’s City Club Missoula forum at the DoubleTree Hotel.

So far, Millar and his staff have made 37 UFDA presentations to groups ranging from most of Missoula’s neighborhood councils to six area community councils and the Missoula Consolidated Planning Board.

At this point in the process, UFDA has resulted in three possible scenarios, with maps and housing figures. They include “business as usual,” so-called “suburban satellites” and “focusing inward.” Millar emphasized that none of the scenarios is carved in stone.

OPG wants to know what people like and don’t like about each one so the process can evolve into a single proposal that will become part of an overarching Missoula growth policy.

Listen to the main presentation at City Club Missoula. http://www.missoulian.com/123-2008/millarcityclubmain051908.php

Listen to the question and answer session at City Club Missoula. http://www.missoulian.com/123-2008/millarcityclubqanda051908.php

By BILL SCHWANKE of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/05/20/news/mtregional/news08.txt