MISSOULA — The City of Missoula will soon change how the public can make comments on land use and planning decisions.
The Montana state legislature passed the Montana Land Use Planning Act in the spring of 2023, requiring cities with populations over 5,000 people that sit in counties with populations over 70,000 to update their land use, zoning, and subdivision regulations by 2026.
The Missoula City Council Land Use and Planning Committee discussed how the laws will impact public comment during a Wednesday, July 10 meeting.
Changes now allow residents to speak at the beginning of processes as the city creates and adopts plans and codes.
"The input and public comment is really focused on that earlier stage so that by the time we adopt a land use plan, update a land use plan, or update our regulations, there has been broad community input and folks are aware and have been involved in the creation of those," Senior Planner with the City of Missoula's Community Planning, Development, and Innovation Department Emily Glucken told MTN.
City officials will handle administrative reviews of individual developments. That means people will not be able to share opinions on specific projects unless there was anything missed in initial planning or something unforeseen comes up in implementation.
"When it comes down to an individual project, if an additional impact is identified, then city staff will likely ask for more information, maybe an additional analysis and then that is when that will become available to the public and there will be a public comment period," explained Glucken.
The new laws will also create a Public Participation Plan, an updated Land Use Plan, and a Planning Commission.
The Public Participation Plan will help provide a framework for continuous and detailed engagement in the City's Land Use plans and regulations.
The Land Use Plan will project housing and population numbers over the next 20 years. Through looking at growth, it will address economic development.
Additionally, the Land Use Plan also touches on existing and future need for public services like EMS, schools, transportation, and water. Plus, it will address natural resources and climate hazards.
The Planning Commission will review and make recommendations to City Council on creating maps, zoning, and subdivision regulations. Those will then, in accordance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act, guide land use decisions.
City planners seek to implement these changes by spring of 2025, a year ahead of the deadline.
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