Residents and callers criticize University of Montana land sale and Divot Development plan for Fort Missoula

McCarthy Coyle, host of the public conversation, led a lengthy on-air discussion about plans for Fort Missoula after she said the University of Montana and its foundation are exploring a sale or development of land there.

The topic drew multiple callers and a guest, Richie Doyle, who described his training in architecture and environmental design and criticized suburban-style proposals. "We no longer live in a human scaled environment," Doyle said, arguing that current development patterns prioritize automobiles and sprawl over mixed-use, walkable communities.

The on-air remarks focused on several recurring concerns: the fate of a large stable building at Fort Missoula (which Coyle said was built in 1915 and that developers want torn down); a proposed development described on the program as about 303 homes; loss of an open, riverfront…