Survey: property owners opposed to streetscape

By BRENT SHRUM Western News Reporter

A downtown Libby businessman on Wednesday presented the city council with survey results indicating widespread opposition to a proposed streetscape project.

Accountant Wayne Hirst told the council he had attempted to contact everyone on a list of 50 Mineral Avenue property owners but had not been able to reach 14, most of whom live out of town. Of the 36 owners contacted and asked if they support the project as proposed, seven said yes, 20 said no and nine were undecided, Hirst said.

Hirst is the president of the Libby Downtown Association, which formed this spring to oppose the streetscape plan commissioned by Libby Revitalization Inc.

Initial estimates put the total cost of the project at $7.65 million. The city has endorsed the plan and is negotiating with a Missoula firm to provide engineering services for the project.

The city is considering the formation of a special improvement district to provide initial funding. The SID, which would assess property owners within the area targeted by the streetscape plan at a rate based on street frontage, would bring in around $400,000 at a proposed assessment of $75 or $100 per foot. The money raised by the SID would serve as a local match for the grants that would be targeted as the primary source of funding for the project. Formation of an SID could be blocked by protests from property owners representing a majority of the proposed district.

According to Hirst's survey, out of 3,900 frontage feet in private ownership, 1,990 feet are held by the 20 owners expressing opposition to the streetscape plan. Those in favor own 450 feet, those undecided 685 feet and those not contacted 775 feet.

"If you're looking at $100 per foot, I'm out $12,500 to turn Libby into a town that I never wanted to do business in," Hirst told the council Wednesday.

Hirst said he is opposed to a "government mandated" streetscape project "to basically remake it into some Portland consultant's view of downtown."

"Nobody's against sprucing it up," Hirst said. "What they are against is it's too big a project when there's too many other things that Libby needs."