Kalispell residents will have a series of opportunities next week to engage with the city’s new land use plan, replacing the city’s current growth policy.
The re-envisioning is a result of the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA), which the legislature adopted as Senate Bill 382 in 2023, requiring municipalities across the state to update their land use policies. Some of the planning act’s conditions include reducing zoning regulations and replacing the public’s engagement on site-specific projects with participation during the plan’s creation.
Several zoning reductions focus on increasing cities’ housing capabilities, including allowing two isolated housing units on one property and allowing all zones to have accessory dwelling units.
The planning act has been criticized for its public participation component, which seeks to bypass the public review process for site-specific planning, such as conditional use permits in Kalispell, in the hopes of streamlining the process. In its place, cities would frontload public participation, gathering public comment as the land use plan is written. The component is currently waiting for review by the Montana Supreme Court after a district court judge ruled that it violates public participation laws.
Up to this point, Kalispell has used the Kalispell Growth Policy, updated in 2017, to make decisions for land use and city development.
The cities’ Development Services Department is hosting community drop-in events starting next Tuesday, July 8, through Thursday, July 10, with different times throughout each day at local parks and businesses. For exact times and places, visit Kalispell’s MLUPA website.