Billings launches 2045 land-use draft and community planning week, opens 30-day comment period

City planners and consultants presented the draft Billings 2045 land-use plan at the April 6 work session, saying the draft synthesizes 12 months of stakeholder meetings, interactive mapping feedback and community workshops and will be posted online with a formal 30-day comment period beginning this week.

Allison Malc of Orion Planning + Design summarized the plan’s components: why the city plans, baseline analyses of infrastructure and constraints, community-derived core themes, place types (used to build the future land-use map), and an implementation strategy with priorities, partners and timelines. "We feel very confident with some of the designations, but that doesn't mean that we don't want that input to reconsider," Malc told council members.

Staff stressed accessibility: the plan and map will be posted on the project website, and a series of drop-in open houses and a Heights-specific event are scheduled during "community planning week" to gather public input. The plan team expects an interim planning commission recommendation later this month and council consideration in May to meet statutory deadlines.

Council asked detailed questions about how public comments will be displayed on the interactive map and how many comments are needed to trigger reconsideration of specific designations; the consultants said repeated comments and areas of consensus will receive the most weight. Council members also asked for clearer visual examples for place types (for instance, showing what "urban residential mix" might look like at 6–8 units versus single-family) so neighborhood reviewers can make informed choices.

What's next: the draft components and the online map will post this week, opening a formal 30-day public-comment window. Staff plans to return to council with a summary of public input and recommended adjustments before the May adoption deadline.