Cushing Terrell, the firm contracted to update Columbia Falls's land-use plan, presented the project schedule and community engagement plan at a joint planning commission and city council workshop and urged residents to use the project website and an online survey available through Dec. 11.

The kickoff presentation described a four-phase process: a current kickoff and outreach phase; data gathering and baseline analysis; drafting a future land-use map and recommendations; and formal adoption. The consultants said the timeline is designed to meet the Montana Land Use Planning Act compliance deadline of May 2026. Nora Bland, director of planning for Cushing Terrell, told the workshop the survey is live and that a utility-infrastructure public meeting will be held on Nov. 20 to share related materials.

Why it matters: the plan will set the future land-use map that guides zoning and development decisions. Consultants and staff said the plan itself will be advisory, while subsequent updates to zoning and subdivision regulations will contain enforceable rules.

Consultants outlined outreach steps including stakeholder interviews in December and January, a council workshop Jan. 26, planning commission hearings Feb. 12 and Mar. 12, a virtual public meeting and additional outreach in April, a planning commission meeting April 23, a first council reading on May 4 and potential council adoption on May 18. "The project website will be your best spot to go to learn about where we are," Bland said.

Residents used the public-comment portion to press for broader and more inclusive outreach, technical clarity and protections for natural resources. A council member cited the city's recent housing study and said, "It's almost a $250,000 gap according to the study," describing the disparity between housing prices and what many local families can afford. Staff and consultants said they are updating infrastructure analyses (water and sewer capacity studies) that will influence where the city can reasonably plan for growth.

On outreach methods, consultants and staff said they will rely on the project website, a separate project microsite, social media and the local news. Staff noted printing flyers and posting materials at city hall; participants recommended additional steps including utility-bill inserts, mailed notices for nearby property owners and neighborhood open houses. Several nonprofit and neighborhood representatives offered to help distribute the survey; Gateway to Glacier Trails and Livable Flathead said they would share the survey via newsletters and social channels.

Legal and notification process: participants asked whether neighbors will receive advance notice of development actions. A consultant referenced recent legislative changes (referred to in the discussion as "3.82") and said the new procedures include notice and appeal processes that preserve administrative and judicial appeals for affected residents; she described a statutory notice requirement that could include short advance notice to nearby property owners but cautioned the city has not yet fully implemented the new procedures.

Budget and engagement format: city staff said Columbia Falls received a $392,000 state grant to support the update and related engineering-plan work but that budget constraints reduced the number of planned in-person visits by out-of-area experts, so the team will use a virtual open house supported by local staff and consultants.

Next steps: the consultants urged residents to take the online survey (available through Dec. 11), sign up on the project website for email updates and watch the Nov. 20 utility-infrastructure meeting and the January and spring outreach events. The workshop closed with the consultants thanking attendees and the meeting adjourned.

The city did not take any votes at the workshop; it was an informational kickoff to the land-use plan update.