Missoula unveils draft zoning framework tied to Missoula 2045 plan; public comment period open

Missoula city staff on Oct. 1 released and presented a draft zoning framework intended to implement the city’s Missoula 2045 land use plan, outline a new Unified Development Code and launch a public engagement period that runs through mid-November, staff said.

The presentation, delivered by Emily Blackan, senior planner and a project manager on the zoning update, and introduced by Mayor James and Councilman Mike Nugent, outlined core changes the draft would make to how land is regulated across Missoula. Key elements include consolidating existing zones, encouraging greater housing diversity, use of floor-area-ratio (FAR) to regulate building size, permitting neighborhood-scale commercial uses in residential areas and removing minimum parking requirements for residential development.

The draft is part of a multi-document package that staff said will include the full Unified Development Code (UDC) and a Standards and Specifications Manual. "Zoning is a set of regulations that determines how land can be used and developed, and it really controls the types and intensity of uses," Blackan said during the roughly 15- to 20-minute presentation. She said those full drafts are scheduled for public release Oct. 29 and that the planning-board public…