Council rezones three Missoula Development Park parcels to M1-2 limited industrial; vote 10–1

Missoula City Council voted on July 21 to rezone three parcels in the Missoula Development Park — referred to in the staff report as Parks 4, 6 and 8 — from OP‑3 (public lands and institutional) with the Missoula Development Park overlay to M1‑2 limited industrial with the same overlay. Councilor Becerra made the motion to adopt the ordinance; the council approved the rezoning in a roll-call vote that resulted in 10 in favor and 1 opposed.

Claire Lovelace, assistant planner in the city’s Community Planning, Development & Innovation department, presented the staff report. She said the three parcels total 367,210 square feet, are currently vacant and are surrounded by commercial and industrial uses adjacent to Expressway, south of Interstate 90. Lovelace said the Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan designates the area for "industrial and employment" and that M1‑2 is a compatible standard zoning district for that place type. She noted that M1‑2 allows a range of civic, commercial and industrial uses but does not permit residential building types other than caretaker apartments subject to overlay standards.

Joe Dehnert, an engineer with IMEG representing the applicant, and county economic development staff provided additional context: the parcels were originally open space/stormwater parcels within an industrial subdivision and remained under county ownership after annexation. Dehnert said a property-owners association historically maintained common facilities but lacked the membership and funds to continue maintenance; an interlocal agreement provided for land sales of some unused open-space parcels to fund park improvements and stormwater assessments. He said Parcel 6 is currently maintained by an adjacent owner, illustrating that adjacent sale to property owners is a plausible outcome.

The planning board had voted unanimously on July 1 to recommend adoption of the ordinance. During council discussion Councilor Carlino voiced concern about rezoning land that had been designated open-space because development would be irreversible, while Councilor Becerra noted the area is already an industrial sector and the rezoning would better align zoning with the land-use plan.

A public hearing was opened; no members of the public spoke for or against the rezone. After council debate Councilor Becerra moved the ordinance. The roll‑call vote recorded ten yes votes and one no; staff and the applicant are available to provide additional information during subsequent development and permitting.

Speakers

- Claire Lovelace — Assistant Planner, Community Planning, Development & Innovation (government). First referenced 00:15:12 (transcript block ~912–993). - Joe Dehnert — IMEG representative for the applicant (business). First referenced 00:24:45 (transcript block ~1465–1496). - Councilor Carlino — City Councilor (government). First referenced 00:30:30 (transcript block ~1830–1859). - Councilor Becerra — Vice chair of Land Use and Planning committee (government). First referenced 00:28:37 (transcript block ~1717–1779).

Authorities

- {"type":"ordinance","name":"Title 20 Zoning Ordinance (City of Missoula)","referenced_by":["Claire Lovelace"]} - {"type":"other","name":"Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan","referenced_by":["Claire Lovelace","staff report"]}

Actions

- {"kind":"ordinance","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"5.1","project_slug":"parks_46_6_8_rezone"},"motion":"Adopt an ordinance to rezone Parks 4, 6 and 8 (legal descriptions in staff report) from OP-3 public lands and institutional NC MDP to M1-2 Limited Industrial NC MDP based on staff findings of fact and conclusions of law","mover":"Councilor Becerra","second":"","vote_record":[{"member":"Anderson","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Sara","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Campbell","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Oh","vote":"no"},{"member":"Jones","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Jordan","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Nelson","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Savage","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Cheryl","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Basica","vote":"yes"},{"member":"Farmer","vote":"yes"}],"tally":{"yes":10,"no":1},"legal_threshold":{"met":true},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Planning Board recommended approval 7/1/2025; rezoning aligns zoning with Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan."}

Discussion vs. Decision

- Discussion: Staff described consistency with the land-use plan and infrastructure availability; councilors debated preservation of open space vs. infill development and alignment with industrial place type. - Direction: No additional direction recorded beyond adoption; future redevelopment will require permits and compliance with overlay standards. - Formal action: Council adopted the ordinance to rezone the subject parcels; vote 10–1.

Clarifying details

- {"category":"parcel_size","detail":"Three subject properties total 367,210 square feet and are currently vacant","value":367210,"units":"square feet","approximate":false,"source_speaker":"Claire Lovelace"} - {"category":"zoning_changes","detail":"OP-3 to M1-2; M1-2 minimum parcel size 5,000 sq ft; overlay standards retain a 50-foot front setback on Expressway","source_speaker":"Claire Lovelace"}

Proper_names

- {"name":"Missoula Development Park","type":"location"}, {"name":"Expressway","type":"location"}, {"name":"Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan","type":"plan"}

Community_relevance

- geographies:["Grant Creek Neighborhood; Ward 2; area north of Missoula Airport"], funding_sources:[], impact_groups:["adjacent businesses; potential industrial employers" ]

meeting_context

- engagement_level:{"speakers_count":6,"duration_minutes":110,"items_count":1}, implementation_risk:"low","history":[{"date":"2025-07-01","note":"Planning Board unanimously recommended rezoning"}] }

provenance:{"transcript_segments":[{"block_id":"b_912","local_start":0,"local_end":400,"evidence_excerpt":"Hello and good evening. My name is Claire Lovelace, an assistant planner with the community planning development and innovation department... The applicant is requesting to rezone the subject properties from OP 3 public lands and institutional with the Missoula Development Park neighborhood character overlay to M 1-2 limited industrial with the Missoula Development Park neighborhood character overlay.","global_start":912,"global_end":1341,"tc_start":"00:15:12","tc_end":"00:22:21","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"b_1979","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"That's 9 in favor. 1 opposed. The motion does pass... No worries. That's 10 in favor, 1 opposed.","global_start":1972,"global_end":2006,"tc_start":"00:32:13","tc_end":"00:33:26","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]} ,