MISSOULA — Missoula County Commissioners joined the Missoula City Council Monday night for a hearing on the Mullan Neighborhood Master Plan.
Following a presentation on the future of the western edge of the city, council members passed a resolution of intention to eventually adopt the master plan.
The plan, which has been in the works since January of this year, would bring seven neighborhoods to roughly 2,000 acres north of Mullan Road, west of North Reserve Street, south of West Broadway, and east of the Missoula International Airport
It features a variety of housing types and mixed land uses, and falls in line with Missoula’s growth policy.
The plan also features a new form-based zoning code, which ensures predictability and orderly results.
While most information regarding the plan has been readily accessible to the public in recent months, one aspect of the plan was announced Monday during the meeting.
Recognizing that the Confederated Salish and Kootenai place name for the area is Sx͏ʷtpqyen, the name of the plan is no longer the Mullan Area Master Plan, but rather Sx͏ʷtpqyen, which means “the place where something comes to a point.”
At the conclusion of the presentation, city councilman Jordan Hess praised the plan, saying "it’s exactly what Missoula needs.”
“As we look to build 6,000 or more new homes, this region and this plan will help us implement the goals of our housing policy. It'll provide a diversity of housing types, and it'll provide multimodal transportation facilities, said Hess.”
Monday’s meeting was merely a public hearing, and decisions to adopt or deny the plan will be made next week.
