At KTVH - Housing, development bills progressing through legislature

One of the main provisions would require those municipalities to adopt five out of a “menu” of 14 strategies for increasing housing access. Those strategies could include reducing minimum lot sizes, allowing multifamily development in more areas and loosening restrictions on accessory dwelling units

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See post at KTVH by Jonathan Ambarian

excerpt:

“SB 382 would make a substantial overhaul to the rules for local land use planning.

“If we can mesh these acts together a bit better and do our planning on the front end, we're going to have a more predictable process both for the developers and the neighborhoods, and we're going to have a more streamlined process,” Mandeville said.

The bill would apply to cities and towns with more than 5,000 residents that are in counties with more than 70,000 residents. Currently, that would include Billings, Laurel, Bozeman, Belgrade, Missoula, Kalispell, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Great Falls and Helena.

“What we have on the menu option is really a list of best practices, I think,” said Mandeville”

Housing, development bills progressing through Montana Legislature

Montana lawmakers have taken up a wide range of bills this session that are aimed at tackling the ongoing need for housing in the state.