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Billings council adopts Billings 2045 plan, approves related zoning and subdivision code changes
Summary
After months of outreach and technical review, the Billings City Council adopted the Billings 2045 land use plan and future land use map and approved first‑reading ordinances updating city zoning and subdivision rules to comply with the Montana Land Use Planning Act.
The Billings City Council on May 11 adopted the Billings 2045 land use plan and future land use map, taking steps staff say are needed to comply with the Montana Land Use Planning Act and to address a projected housing shortfall.
Planning staff told the council the city faces a deficit of about 10,000 housing units today and a total need of roughly 26,200 units by 2045. Staff and consultants said the plan and associated code changes create a future‑land‑use map and a streamlined, administrative review process intended to increase housing production and permit predictable development patterns.
The plan presentation recapped outreach including stakeholder meetings, community workshops and an online survey. Staff also outlined proposed zoning and subdivision changes, such as altered parking requirements, a new temporary use classification to simplify food‑truck permitting, and administrative review procedures that will take effect under state law July 1, 2027.
Council members pressed staff on specific impacts: how the plan accounts for schools and roads, how vacancy and vacancy‑type statistics were used to judge demand, and how parkland dedication rules would be applied under the new subdivision standards. Planning staff responded that schools and transportation will continue to be notified and consulted on subdivisions and zone changes, that traffic‑impact and master‑site plan rules still apply for high‑trip developments, and that the subdivision rules include a statutory parkland standard (0.03 acres per dwelling unit) while preserving flexibility for further conversation with parks staff.
The council also considered several interim planning commission recommendations — including allowing duplexes in a large‑lot residential district (N3), increasing certain lot‑coverage maximums, and clarifying neighborhood mixed‑use language — and voted to adopt the plan and map with select amendments following public testimony. The resolution adopting the Billings 2045 plan and map passed; the council approved first readings of zoning and subdivision ordinance changes with some IPC‑recommended amendments added for further consideration. Several council members expressed concern about the state law’s effect on local review authority but voted to adopt the plan to meet the statutory deadline.
The council closed the public hearing portion of the item and approved the plan and associated first‑reading ordinances; subsequent council action will finalize the code changes at second reading and implement the plan’s administrative processes.
The council’s action advances the city’s compliance with state law and establishes the framework staff says will guide future land‑use and administrative decisions. The council’s next procedural steps are second readings of the zoning and subdivision ordinances and any additional targeted amendments members choose to add.
