Plum Creek decries Seeley Lake Regional Plan's slow process

Plum Creek Timber Co. representatives on Wednesday night explained their frustration with the way the Seeley Lake Regional Plan is progressing and found a receptive ear from Missoula County Commission chairwoman Michele Landquist.

"They're making suggestions and really all we've done is say, ‘yes, we'll submit this for the record and take it under advisement.' We've given them nothing to go away with," said Landquist after a hearing at the Missoula County Courthouse.

The process has yet to reach the "nuts and bolts" stage, Landquist added, and she assured that Plum Creek's arguments would not only be heard but discussed.

That's what the Missoula Consolidated Planning Commission promised, too, before the plan reached the commissioners, said Plum Creek's Catherine Simms.

"I guess our faith in the process is not as high as yours," she said.

"Have a little more faith please," Landquist responded.

Meanwhile, a new player for Plum Creek, Missoula attorney Milt Datsopoulos, voiced his resentment of a Placid Lake landowner and California attorney who is spearheading opposition to Plum Creek's plans for developing the area.

Jim Moose reiterated his position that the county is within its legal bounds to designate Plum Creek lands nonresidential. The company, by far the largest private landowner in the region, is pushing for fewer restrictions on developing its former timberlands.

Moose argued that they aren't "former" timberlands, and cited U.S. Supreme Court decisions he said allow a government to restrict Plum Creek from building homes or selling land for homes on its properties because they're still viable for commercial harvest.

"I would submit that there's nothing in the law that requires us or you to accommodate them," Moose said. "As long as, at the end of the day, they have a reasonable use of their property, they can't with a straight face argue a regulatory taking."

Datsopoulos followed Moose to the podium and identified himself as a lifelong Montanan.

"I'm appalled at Mr. Moose coming here to Montana and lecturing us on what our rights are, what our constitution says, and how he's going to make sure we don't screw up our own state," Datsopoulos said.

He asked that commissioners pay more attention to what Plum Creek has to say.

"We're open to discussion, we're open to suggestions. We want the opportunity to present our views and our thoughts," he said.

The commissioners had set an agenda to discuss 11 proposed changes to the land-use plan but only got through five, and no firm decisions were made on any. A May 19 meeting, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the courthouse, was set to address the remaining six and rehash new information on the redesignation of some resource protection lands.

It'll be at least June before the commission begins accepting or rejecting parts of the overall plan, Landquist said.

The five areas covered on Wednesday considered a change in the plan name to something that reflected the Clearwater River watershed, the area the plan covers; adding text to address both existing home industry uses and industrial operations; resource protection lands such as those around Placid Lake, and establish a maximum density where clustered development occurs.

Left to be discussed are changes that address the planning draft in the Woodworth area; future changes in sewer district boundaries and land-use designations; existing lot sizes and covenants at the Double Arrow Ranch; the possibility of senior and disabled housing on hospital district and other land; existing residential uses on Pine Lane in the town of Seeley Lake, and residential density in commercial areas if commercial use doesn't occur.