Citizens are invited to an open house to view the draft Master Plan for Hellgate Park on Tuesday, June 11, at 6:30 p.m., at the Montech Building, 1121 E. Broadway. Missoula Parks and Recreation and the Heart of Missoula Neighborhood Council will present the plan and accept public comment.
Hellgate Park, also known as Gateway Gardens, is a 3-acre undeveloped park located just west of the Cobblestone condominiums on East Broadway, about 1.1 miles east of Van Buren Street.
A park’s Master Plan defines the community’s “vision” for a park and sets a course for future park development. Neighbors currently use Hellgate Park for hiking, dog walking, running, cycling and river access. Feedback from a 2012 neighborhood opinion survey and a subsequent planning workshop indicated that residents support some park development to enhance the parks’ recreational uses and protect its natural resources. As the park is located in the floodplain, it will be a minimally developed, “natural park” with native plant landscaping, walking paths and relatively few built amenities.
The planning process and site inventory are funded by a City neighborhood grant and Missoula County Parks and Trails grant. When a final park master plan is adopted, City officials can work toward funding future park development through state and federal grants, impact fees and private and public partnerships.
The City of Missoula will continue to work with Missoula County, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Montana Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies to ensure that floodplain, waterway, land use and wildlife regulations are met as Hellgate Park is developed.
For more information about Hellgate Park, please contact Dave Shaw, Parks and Trails Development Manager at 552-6264, or visit www.missoulaparks.org.
