The Central Conflict of the White Pine Sash Mill Cleanup

The most prevalent debate regarding the White Pine Sash Mill Cleanup is a matter of standards.  The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has determined that the site should be cleaned to standards that would allow commercial and industrial development of the area.  However, some interested parties would like to see the site cleaned to a higher standard that would allow residential development of the area as well.
In determining the standard to which a site should be cleaned, the DEQ considers a number of factors.  They consider the ordinances of the area, such as the zoning regulations, the way the site was used in the past and the way it is expected to be used in the future, the patterns of development in the area, and how the owners of the site and the area planning officials intend to use the site.  Based on their analysis of these factors, the DEQ determined that the White Pine Sash Mill site could be expected to see commercial and industrial future use, and therefore should be cleaned to a standard that would allow that kind of use.  Some of the stakeholders that support cleaning the site to this level are Huttig Building Products, Scott Street Partners, and the Missoula Economic Partnership.
However, many community members and interested parties would like to see the site cleaned to a higher standard.  I spoke with Bryan Von Lossberg, a city councilor whose ward includes the White Pine Sash Mill Site.  Among other things, he is the co-author of a resolution put forth by the city council encouraging the DEQ to clean the site to residential standards (which can be viewed in an earlier post).  Von Lossberg emphasized that he did not want the site to be cleaned to residential standards just to force residential development, but rather to enable the highest use of the site without constraints.  In fact, he foresaw a mix of residential and light industrial use for the site in the future.  Von Lossberg also felt that determining the future use of the site based on the past use of the site hampers the development of the surrounding community.  In addition, Von Lossberg feels that there is a responsibility to clean the site to the highest possible standard, and felt it would be hard to explain why the site would not be cleaned to the highest standard.  Von Lossberg is not alone in his convictions.  Also in favor of cleaning the White Pine Sash Mill to a residential standard are the Missoula Housing Authority, the Missoula County Health Board, and the Missoula Office of Planning and Grants. For more information about the debate over standards, please see:
Missoula Neighborhood Pushes DEQ to Strengthen Cleanup Order for Northside