The Livingston City Commission on Dec. 3 adopted a comprehensive rewrite of Chapter 30 of the municipal code, updating zoning rules that had not been overhauled since 1981. The ordinance (No. 3064) replaces the city’s zoning text, modernizes use tables and zoning definitions, and codifies short‑term rental registration and other contemporary land‑use provisions.

Why it matters: The zoning code is the city’s primary regulatory tool to implement the growth policy. The rewrite aims to align development rules with the city’s vision for land use, transportation and housing while clarifying permitted uses across residential, commercial and industrial districts.

Key changes and debate: Planning director Jen Severson described substantive changes including a clarified set of allowed uses, definitions for bed‑and‑breakfasts and short‑term rentals, and a newly proposed agricultural (ag) district intended to preserve open space and limit higher‑intensity uses near the river corridor. That ag district proposal — including minimum lot sizes and animal‑unit limits — prompted extended public comment and a review of comparative ag districts in other Montana cities.

Public comments and landowner concerns: Several speakers supported a tool to protect open space along the river; others — most prominently a nearby landowner — said the proposed ag language could constrain heirs, reduce flexibility for conservation easements and require ongoing agricultural production as a condition of using the land. Friends of Park County and Montana Freshwater Partners urged a stronger open‑space approach with setback protections for flood and channel migration zones.

Commission action: After deliberation the commission adopted ordinance 3064 but removed the proposed agricultural district text for further work, directing staff to refine language and consider alternatives (annexation/development agreements, conservation easements, subdivision regulations and floodplain controls) before implementing a zone that would apply inside city limits.

What to watch: Staff said the zoning text now in effect will be followed by map amendments (future land‑use to zoning map) to be considered at a subsequent meeting. The commission also scheduled a special session to continue work on floodplain and subdivision regulations and asked staff to return with additional comparative analysis and options for protecting river corridor open space.