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Council reviews Billings Heights neighborhood plan; members ask edits on housing, zoning and water-district language
Summary
Planning staff presented the Billings Heights neighborhood plan (aligned with Billings 2045) identifying a projected need for ~6,482 units over 20 years, proposing strategies for 'missing-middle' housing, walkability and infrastructure; council requested edits (including language about zoning incorporation and water-district references) and signaled motions to correct or remove specific recommendations before the adoption hearing.
Planning staff presented the draft Billings Heights neighborhood plan, an implementation-level document consistent with the Montana Land Use Planning Act and the city's Billings 2045 umbrella plan.
The plan maps the Heights study area, projects population growth and a need for about 6,482 housing units over the next 20 years, and lists strategies for walkability, parks, neighborhood-serving businesses, and housing choices including duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to address the "missing middle." Staff noted public outreach through a Heights Neighborhood Task Force and several workshops. The document identifies infrastructure barriers (stormwater, water-utility connection costs in the Heights Water District) and offers implementation goals intended to guide coordination among stakeholders.
Council members suggested edits and clarifications during the work session: they asked staff to correct a wording error that would have implied automatic incorporation into zoning (staff agreed a motion next week can correct that item), to soften language referencing the Heights Water District so it does not appear the city is imposing requirements on an independent district, and to add explicit strategies encouraging smaller single-family-lot development to increase density while preserving neighborhood character. Interim Planning Commission recommendations and public comments will be included as staff finalizes slides ahead of the adoption hearing.
Why it matters: Neighborhood plans guide future development expectations and inform capital and regulatory decisions. The Heights plan's treatment of housing types, infrastructure constraints and future coordination with the Heights Water District affects development timing and how the city and other local agencies plan for growth.
What to watch next: Staff will bring the amended plan and supporting slides to the July 27 meeting for adoption consideration; council members indicated consensus to remove or correct specific language identified in the work session.
