Two proposals for Mammoth Drive parcel split neighborhood and developer supporters; county committee to review

The Butte-Silver Bow Department of Community Development reported to commissioners on June 18 that it received two proposals in response to a developer packet for a surplus two-acre parcel on Mammoth Drive and that staff will request presentations and a recommendation before the council takes final action.

Director Karen Burns told the council the county issued a developer packet after a parks-and-rec master plan adopted in 2023 declared the parcel surplus. The county received one proposal for residential subdivision and another seeking to preserve the land as parkland; the developer-packet review committee found the preservation proposal did not meet minimum criteria demanded by the RFP. Burns said the committee planned presentations on July 1, including one from the residential proposer, and that the committee would forward a recommendation to the council.

Proponents of keeping the land as public green space urged the council during public comment to reject residential development. Ryan Underwood, who submitted the preservation proposal, told commissioners he would pay the county's asking price and develop the parcel as green space at no cost to taxpayers. "I have put in there to put a green space in there... I would pay the asking price for the property," Underwood said. Neighbors from Wadena and Mammoth Drive described decades of informal park use, concerns about traffic, blasting through decomposed granite and potential property damage if houses are built.

The competing residential proposal included a specified purchase price and a description of infrastructure and subdivision tasks; Community Development summarized that submission as including five single-family homes, subdivision and site-prep costs, and a scheduled one-year build-out. Burns said the packet had a cap on offers and the advertised maximum purchase price was $40,002.61, and she provided a summary of the two proposals to the commission.

Several commissioners raised procedural concerns: some said the county should re-examine how surplus property is offered so neighboring residents are aware before a development path is started; others noted the review committee properly followed the RFP scoring and that a presentation and public hearings should precede a final council decision. Commissioners also asked staff to check whether the original park donor's deed contains reversionary language or use restrictions before any sale is completed.

Next steps spelled out by staff: the committee will host presentations on July 1, compile comments, and issue a recommendation to the council. Burns said the committee concluded the residential proposer met the RFP criteria and that the preservation proposal did not; the council will not finalize any sale or disposition until after the committee report and any required public hearings.