Committee weighs bill to allow up to six-story buildings in commercial zones to boost housing supply

Senators and representatives on the House Local Government Committee heard testimony for and against Senate Bill 243 on whether cities should be required to allow up to six-story buildings by right in commercial zones in larger Montana cities.

Proponents told the committee the bill would create “predictability” for developers and encourage investment in housing. Opponents said raising allowable height without affordability requirements could increase land values and construction costs and would strip local governments of tools to manage transitions to lower-density neighborhoods.

Supporters, including Jake Brown of Shelter Whitefish and Tanner Avery of the Frontier Institute, said the measure builds on last session’s housing reforms and would allow “5-over-1” mixed-use designs and other mid-rise configurations in commercial areas where people shop and work. Brown told the committee the change would reduce…