Residents and Town Pump representatives clash over Frenchtown zoning, with debate focused on groundwater, traffic and community character

On May 12 the Missoula County Planning and Zoning Commission heard two Part I zoning petitions for land around the Frenchtown interchange that would change allowable uses on roughly 400 acres. Staff presented the petitions and recommended approval of one petition and denial of the other; commissioners then heard extended public testimony from residents, school officials and representatives of Town Pump and its consultants on environmental, traffic and community impacts.

Town Pump representatives framed the issue as managed development with regulatory safeguards. Dan Sampson, construction development manager for Town Pump, described two historical releases at a Whitefish site and said the largest release occurred in 1989 before Town Pump purchased the property. He detailed remediation steps undertaken since purchase — “removal of the contaminated soils, installation of air sparging and soil vapor extraction systems, hydrogen peroxide injection, and continued installation of monitoring wells” — and invited the record’s review of a Flathead Beacon article documenting cleanup work.

Sampson also presented hydrogeologic testing results intended to address local well‑impact concerns. He said the project team drilled three monitoring wells and two potable wells and conducted a 24‑hour pump test at 60 gallons per minute from each production well; he reported production wells showed less than 2 feet of drawdown and monitoring wells dropped by less than 0.4 feet, concluding the effect on neighboring wells was negligible. He added that an application for a DEQ groundwater discharge permit was under review and cited an application identifier in the transcript (MTX000352); he described Level‑2 treatment targets, routine effluent sampling and DEQ’s authority to require upgrades if the system fails to meet standards.

Residents, school officials and local leaders urged caution or denial, focusing on groundwater risk, traffic near schools, and loss of rural character. Debbie Lester, who said she signed the petition on behalf of Valley of Christ Lutheran Church and identified herself as chair of the Frenchtown School Board, said the community already has “a Superfund site in our backyard” and expressed concern about diesel fumes, idling trucks and 72 overnight truck parking spaces. “Our school bus drivers are older adults and they’re nervous,” she said, describing safety concerns for buses and student pedestrians. Other residents cited potential crime, light and noise pollution, and the effect of restricting commercial uses on housing affordability and property values.

Traffic consultants for the applicant acknowledged existing safety issues around the interstate and frontage road and described mitigation work. Joey Staszak, a senior traffic engineer for Sanville, said his team has worked with the Montana Department of Transportation on crash history, updated traffic counts (including special‑event counts) and mitigation options intended to reduce right‑angle and T‑bone collisions and handle future volumes. Tom Eastwood, who prepared a separate traffic study, noted some movements currently operate at level‑of‑service F during the morning peak and that MDT review had not been completed as of the hearing date.

Applicants’ counsel Graham Koppas argued the Part I zoning petitions are a proper tool for shaping the community’s future and said staff findings show the proposed zoning would better align land‑use intensity with hydrogeologic sensitivity, strengthen wildfire defensible space and protect rural character. Multiple local agencies and organizations — the Frenchtown School District (the school board voted unanimously, per the record), the local water quality district, the Frenchtown Fire District and the county floodplain administrator — were cited in the staff record as commenting in support.

What was decided and what’s next: the hearing recorded testimony and technical presentations but did not show final votes on the two petitions. Commissioners scheduled additional consideration at a special meeting on May 28, 2026, to continue matters not finished on May 12.

Why it matters: the petitions would change allowable uses near a busy interchange adjacent to schools and residential areas; residents cited potential long‑term groundwater, traffic and community impacts, while applicants pointed to mitigation, monitoring and regulatory review by DEQ and MDT.