The Billings City Council voted Monday night to sell Lampman Park to a developer who plans to build 81 units of housing on the property.
The council agreed to sell the six-acre park for $834,000.
Watch Lampman Park sale story here:
"The city has properties that they don't have the money to develop," said Councilman Tony O'Donnell. "Lampman is just one of those."
Lampman, which is south of Monad Road between South 30th and 31st streets, is the only property the city agreed to sell.
The council did vote to start the process to dispose of three properties:
- Wilson Park in south Billings
- Beartooth parcel near Beartooth Elementary school
- Career Center Park near the Career Center.
Some in the neighborhood talked about what they think about selling Lampman Park.
Lars Baker, who lives less than a block away, supports developing the property.
He cited the Lampman's prairie dog population as one reason.
"Prairie dog town all over the place there," Baker said. "And they occasionally come over here and dig a hole in my lawn. I don't think having a prairie dog town in the middle of town is a good idea."
The sale requires the property to be rezoned from parkland to single and multi-family housing.
"I don't think any of that would make this any less valuable," Baker said.
Not all neighbors agree, with some worrying about what development will bring to the area.
"If you have a bunch of people living there, they're going to go dumped down into that street that has no yield signs, no stop signs," one resident said at the city council meeting on Monday night.
"The park would be much safer," another neighbor said during public comment.
Gavin Woltjer, city of Billings director of Parks, Recreation and Public Lands, says the city must balance those concerns with the need for infill and a growing tax base.
"How can we do infill?" Woltjer asked. "How can we help with the increasing the tax revenue side of things to help the community overall? I don't think it's an either-or."
Woltjer says it's important to look at the financial as well as the positive emotion that some have with the park.
O'Donnell agrees with the need to dispose of property, but he is not sure that the possible plan matches the housing already in the neighborhood.
"I have grave concerns to build something that's neighborhood compatible," O'Donnell said. "The planning has to match neighborhood. That's one of the criteria. One of the necessities."
Deputy Mayor Mike Boyett says despite its name, Lampman Park has few park amenities.
"It's just a piece of dirt," Boyett said. "There's nothing on it. There's no playground. There's no equipment. There's no grass. There's nothing on it."
Developer Cal Kunkel said he tentatively plans to build 81 units made up of single-family homes and duplexes.
Kunkel wants to wait until the sale closes before disclosing more details about his project.
Woltjer said the rezoning and planning still need to be completed before construction starts.
For some neighbors, construction is a better option than leaving the property undeveloped.
"I never have liked it," Zack Garretson said about the undeveloped land. "It just seems a shame to see a big piece of ground like that just going to waste."
"I think, at this point, develop it, yes," said Virginia Garretson.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
