Plan
A major goal of this project is to demonstrate an approach to development that protects natural resources and meets community needs for housing and commercial space. In the early 1900s, the land was subdivided into two, five-acre parcels as part of “Dinsmore’s Orchard Homes” in Missoula County. To achieve our site goals, Corner Farm Village LLC adjusted the boundaries of the parcels into an eight-acre lot (the farm) and a two+-acre lot (the village), and recorded a boundary line relocation.
The Farm: In 2024, CFV sold the eight-acres to Trust Montana, a nonprofit community land trust, which will provide long-term stewardship. Please see the “Farm” page for a description of the unique permanent protection strategy.
The community’s benefits are many, including saving prime agricultural soils, excellent irrigation water, the riparian area created by an old oxbow of the Clark Fork River, and natural flood control. Local food production and the land’s vegetation not only helps reduce our community’s climate impact, but also promotes resilience in the face of climate change and future disruptions of the dominant food system, such as global pandemics.
The Planned Development: After a successful, multi-year effort to protect the farm, Corner Farm Village has moved into a new phase that works with the existing “citizen-initiated zoning,” which originated in 1959, and is planning a compact neighborhood adjacent to the farm.
We have received the necessary approvals regarding the zoning, sanitation, and land use:
- A zoning variance enabling an agricultural-related business building, with a farm store and commercial kitchen. The business will enhance the economic viability of the on-site farming operation, as well provide markets for other local food producers and processors.
- Transferred eight development rights from the farm lot to the development lot.
- Approval for a Planned Neighborhood Cluster (PNC) with the agricultural-business building and up to 12 homes. These zoning standards allow grouping and placing the buildings closer together on poor quality land (“clustering”), while protecting open space and natural resources. Check out Missoula County’s description of our planned neighborhood cluster.
- Designed and secured the necessary City, County, and State approvals for connecting the development lot to municipal water and sewer services. Installation is underway in 2026.
