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Missoula candidates make housing supply and zoning reform the central focus of forum
Summary
Candidates at a Missoula City Council forum prioritized housing affordability and supply, urging zoning changes, more housing supply, and expanded public funding tools such as community land trusts and TIF reallocation.
Housing dominated a candidate forum for Missoula City Council seats, where multiple candidates said greater housing supply and zoning reform are the most urgent actions the city must take to address rising prices and homelessness. Candidates running in Wards 1, 2 and 3 repeatedly emphasized zoning changes, accessory dwelling units and public–private partnerships as levers to increase housing availability.
Why it matters: Missoula candidates framed housing as a crosscutting problem for affordability, workforce availability and homelessness. Several said market forces and short-term rentals have reduced long-term housing supply, and they proposed city policy changes to expand the number and type of homes available.
Candidates described the scale of the problem in direct terms. Justin Ponton, a Ward 2 candidate, said, “In the last 5…
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