Missoula officials discuss priorities for growth, code reform (2024)

Missoula City Council gave initial approval to guiding principles for its long-term code reform and growth plan on Wednesday, starting the final steps for how the city will regulate land use.

The council also heard some of the main regulation concerns that planning staff have identified from residents, mostly around affordable housing and repetitive codes that are confusing to the public.

The presentation kicked off the final steps to passing the city's "Our Missoula Growth Policy" and long-form code reform. Both plans look to modernize city regulations while also preparing for the next decade of growth.

"We can't stress enough that this is really a paradigm shift on how we regulate growth and development to better achieve our goals in Missoula," Community, Planning and Innovation Director Eran Pehan said at the meeting.

Zoning and code reform play into how landowners and developers can use their land. The city has been working on the update as Missoula grapples with steady population growth and a limited amount of space to build new housing.

City planners identified three main priorities for the city's reform: boosting affordable housing, maintaining equity for residents and preparing for climate change mitigation.

Brewer said the planning department will use the priorities to guide specific land use decisions, like how the city should densify its inner core while also promoting housing like townhouses and duplexes.

Brewer also described issues in current city regulations that residents have pointed out as needing to be adjusted.

One of the major concerns is affordability, Brewer said, adding that analysis of current zoning shows much of the land within Missoula city limits has been zoned single-family residential, which he said has become too expensive for many Missoulians.

"Almost two-thirds of our residentially zoned land is zoned for the type of housing that less than one-third of Missoula households can afford," Brewer said. "Our current regulations promote fewer large homes over smaller ones, which limits housing production."

Another large issue exists for developing infill that matches the surrounding neighborhood. Brewer said the new code should have fewer restrictions to "middle housing" or living spaces like townhouses, and multiplexes to make them easier to build.

He also said the character of the neighborhoods must be considered in code updates, as some of the older neighborhoods were built with different zoning, or in some cases no zoning at all, making it difficult to develop.

Creating a safer, more pedestrian-friendly transportation system can also be achieved through code reform, Brewer said, by providing options for cycling or taking the bus, as opposed to using single-occupancy cars on the road.

City Chief Administrative Officer Dale Bickell acknowledged that the code reform process can be confusing because different city agencies have different codes, and sometimes those codes clash.

"All of our departments that are in development-related activities end up having competing interests," Bickell said. "We are limited, it's a major initiative to change this diagram so it makes sense to everybody."

With the identification of the city priorities and their shortcomings, the planning department will create final drafts of its long term code reform and growth plans.

Brewer said both projects will be seeking public input over the summer and move at different paces to finalize the plans by the end of 2024.

Ward 4 City Councilor Mike Nugent said the process has now shifted from an internal city process to an outreach project with the public.

"The opportunity to engage is only going to get better from here on out," Nugent said. "Really the public is going to be engaged permanently from now until the finish line."

The land use and planning committee unanimously forwarded the guiding principles document for final approval on the council's consent agenda set for Monday, June 10.