Missoula County Government: Missoula County Zoning Revision Focuses On Housing, Ag, Water Quality

Missoula MT

15 July, 2021

6:59 PM

Description

Press release from the Missoula County Government: 07/15/2021 9:18 AM The current Missoula County Zoning Regulations, adopted in 1976 with piecemeal amendments every few years, are no longer adequate to address the area's current challenges and opportunities. The updated code – which would apply to the Missoula urban area outside city limits, including in Bonner, East Missoula and the Wye – is designed to tackle the type of growth the community is seeing today while also preparing for the years ahead. "Missoula County residents are feeling the housing crunch. We also value our open spaces, rivers and public lands," said Dave Strohmaier, chair of the Missoula Board of County Commissioners. "The proposed zoning will reduce regulatory barriers to housing and provide protections for our agriculture lands, our rivers and our wildlife. We can grow as a community while protecting what is important to us." The public can find the proposed zoning code and map, information on events and ways to comment on the proposal at www.mczoningupdate.com. The proposed code is the culmination of a years-long public process that began with updating the Missoula Area Land Use Element, followed by a zoning audit that informed County staff how to best update the code to meet community needs and goals.  Residents can learn about and comment on the proposed update both online and in person. Ways to participate online include a map viewer that allows users to look up the zoning on their property, a tool that allows people to leave comments directly in the code and online workshops. To engage in person, people have the option to attend one of the four scheduled open houses. Public hearings on the proposal will be scheduled in the fall.   Online workshops (all will take place from noon to 1 p.m.): Thursday, July 29: Housing Workshop  Thursday Aug. 5: Riparian Resources Workshop  Thursday, Aug. 10: Agricultural Lands Workshop  Thursday, Aug. 12: Topic to be determined based on public response In-person open houses (members of the public are welcome to stop by any time between 4 and 7 p.m.): Wednesday, July 28: Hellgate Lions Memorial Park, 1305 Haaglund Drive, West Riverside  Wednesday, Aug. 4: The Barn on Mullan, 8500 Mullan Road, Missoula Wednesday, Aug. 11: Orchard Homes Country Life Club, 2537 S. Third St. W., Missoula Wednesday, Aug. 18: East Missoula Lions Park, 766 Michigan Ave., East Missoula   Zoning regulations developed decades ago treated housing much differently than what our community needs today. As a result, outdated zoning codes create unintended regulatory barriers to housing development.  "The code we're replacing only contemplated single-family zoning and big apartment buildings," said Senior Planner Andrew Hagemeier. "The proposed code focuses on the 'missing middle' housing, which will increase the diversity of housing types and provide homes for people of all incomes and all stages of life. By allowing more housing types, our housing market will become more resilient to market stressors."  In addition to reducing regulatory barriers to housing, the code incentivizes development of permanently affordable housing. Since the 2021 Legislature removed options for jurisdictions to require permanently affordable housing through inclusionary zoning, the code would instead incentivize development of below-market-rate housing by giving these developments allowances not available to typical market-rate projects. Incentives range from reducing costly parking requirements to increasing the number of homes allowed per project. Balancing the need for housing with protecting resources is one of the cornerstones of the new code. Conservation design, which is the clustering of homes on a portion of property to leave the remainder undeveloped, plays a key role in this strategy. Clustering development to preserve the best agricultural areas respects individuals' rights to develop while supplying the community's need for local agriculture. The proposed code also provides agricultural users opportunities to supplement their farming income through uses like agritourism. Central to the strategy of protecting important resources is the proposal to include riparian resource protection along certain streams and main stem rivers. Wildlife use riparian areas as movement corridors, and development located adjacent to rivers increases the potential for pollution and exacerbates property damage from flooding or channel migration, the hazards of which are highlighted in a recent study. As our climate continues to change, the updated code will help protect riparian vegetation that keeps waterways cool and soils in place. These protections differ by waterway but will generally include areas adjacent to rivers and certain streams where development is limited. These rules would affect new development, not existing homes.  This press release was produced by the Missoula County Government. The views expressed here are the author's own.