Livingston land use board recommends rezoning for Northtown PUD, calls for updated traffic and emergency plans

The Livingston City Land Use Board on April 9 recommended that the City Commission approve a zoning map amendment to create a planned unit development (PUD) for a 20.01-acre parcel in the Northtown subdivision, but added conditions requiring an updated traffic study and an emergency-response/egress plan before later development phases are finalized.

The recommendation, made by a majority vote of the seven-member advisory board, forwards the developer's proposal to the City Commission for final action. The developer proposes up to 240 dwelling units (a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments) and roughly 12,850 square feet of neighborhood-scale commercial space on land now zoned R-2 medium-density residential.

Why it matters: The parcel sits on steep topography on Livingston's north side and is adjacent to existing single-family subdivisions. Neighbors and board members raised concerns about traffic at the Fifth Street rail crossing, stormwater detention, wildfire evacuation and how taller, denser buildings would fit the area's terrain and visual character. The board sought to balance those concerns against the city's broader growth policy goals and an acknowledged shortage of rental housing.

Staff presentation and project scope Jennifer, a city planning staff member, told the board the PUD ordinance was adopted last year following the 2021 growth policy and that the Northtown application is the first PUD under that new code. She said the applicant is not requesting additional overall density beyond what current code could allow in other configurations and that the PUD is intended to cluster development, preserve open space and allow neighborhood-scale commercial uses.

“The developer is not requesting additional density,” Jennifer said. She also told the board that the PUD proposal designates about 63.5% of the 20.01 acres as open space, and that a single building at the subdivision entrance would include roughly 12,850 square feet of commercial space.

Developer presentation Matt Moore, representing Northtown Development Corp. and 4 Halverson Architects, described the project as a response to a local rental shortage. “Our objective is to come to market with workforce housing to give Livingston an increased supply in workforce housing,” Moore said, explaining the plan calls for 106 studios, 68 one-bedrooms and 68 two-bedrooms in three-story buildings under the requested height limit.

Engineer’s comments and drainage Garrett Schultz of Headwaters Engineering, the civil engineer for the project, explained the plan relies on two detention/retention basins sized to the city’s standard 10-year, two-hour design storm and said the southwest basin will also serve some existing approved subdivision phases. “That pond is upsized to handle that,” Schultz said, adding the design includes storm piping under curbs so most runoff will be conveyed underground to inlets and then to the ponds rather than flowing across road surfaces.

Traffic, transit and public-works review Board members, staff and residents repeatedly pressed the developer and staff on traffic impacts, especially at the Fifth Street railroad crossing. Jennifer said the public works department noted deficiencies in the original traffic materials and the board must require an updated traffic study and public-works review before the City Commission considers the ordinance. She also said the applicant has engaged with Windrider Transit about adding a bus stop near the commercial area.

Public comment: safety, character, housing need More than a dozen residents spoke during public comment. Some, including Cynthia Westover of Prairie Drive and several speakers from Sweetgrass Lane, urged denial, citing wildfire risk, limited egress from the north side, and the effect of denser rental housing on neighborhood character. Westover told the board she objected to changing the R-2 zoning and said, “This developer applied for a zoning change two times for a parcel they previously owned… Both times the request was denied.”

Other speakers supported the project as a way to increase rental supply and bring neighborhood services. A resident of Scenic Trail who lives in a nearby townhouse told the board that apartments and neighborhood commercial could create convenience and community on the north side.

Board action and conditions After discussion the Land Use Board voted to recommend approval of the zoning map amendment, forwarding the application to the City Commission with staff-recommended conditions plus two additional conditions requested by the board:

- An updated traffic impact study and formal public-works review addressing Shannon (public works) comments must be submitted and accepted before the City Commission takes final action on the ordinance. - The developer must work with the city and emergency responders to provide an emergency-response/egress plan for the PUD at build-out; the board asked that key elements be in place before the final engineering approval for Phase 3 (timing and phasing to be coordinated with city staff).

The staff report also calls for the developer to refine the stormwater design so runoff is appropriately split between the two ponds and for public-works approval of storm modeling and grading during infrastructure plan review.

Votes and next steps The board’s recommendation passed on a roll call vote (tally recorded in meeting minutes: five in favor, two opposed). The advisory board’s decision is not the final approval; the City Commission will hold its own public hearings and is tentatively scheduled for first-reading consideration on May 6, subject to public notice timelines and receipt of the updated traffic report.

What remains unresolved Board members noted remaining questions about how the three-dimensional massing will appear from surrounding streets and urged clearer visual simulations of height and grading for the commission. Several members and residents also urged that the proposed gravel west connector and other emergency access measures be finalized during infrastructure review to improve egress options for the north side.

The developer said the project will be built in phases and that infrastructure and engineering teams will refine drainage, grading and trail connections as part of the required infrastructure plan-review process.

Ending The City Commission will receive the Land Use Board recommendation, staff reports and public comments. The commission will decide whether to approve, modify or deny the rezoning and any associated PUD ordinance after its public hearings and after the required technical reviews are complete.