Livingston commission clears first reading of Northtown PUD after debate over traffic, water loop and emergency access

Livingston — The Livingston City Commission on first reading approved an ordinance to rezone roughly 20 acres on the North Side from R‑2 (medium-density residential) to a Planned Unit Development (PUD), a step the developer says will allow a mix of studio, one‑ and two‑bedroom apartments and some ground‑floor commercial space.

The commission voted unanimously after more than two hours of presentations and public comment. Commissioners and staff asked for stronger guarantees that water and emergency access infrastructure will be built as the project progresses, and imposed conditions requiring a water main loop by the time phase 2 receives occupancy, a financial guarantee if the loop is delayed, traffic mitigation at two downtown intersections and a covenant barring short‑term rentals on the project.

Why it matters: The Northtown PUD would add 240 dwelling units, mostly studios and one‑bedrooms, to a part of Livingston that already lacks walkable neighborhood commercial services. Supporters say the project supplies housing types the city’s 2021 growth plan and the 2020s housing market study identified as missing; opponents raised concerns that existing road crossings and the railroad create evacuation and congestion risks the city must address before approving major new density.

Most important facts first: City staff and the applicant said the proposal stays within the municipality’s allowable density under recent state and local zoning changes but clusters buildings onto the lower, flatter portion of the site. The applicant proposes 240 units (104 studios, 68 one‑bedroom and 68 two‑bedroom units), about 12,850 square feet of first‑floor commercial space and roughly 63–64% of the 20‑acre parcel set aside as open space. The developer asked for a 40‑foot maximum building height where R‑2 would allow about 34 feet; that increase was presented as a trade for conserving open space.

Staff, consultants and the…