At MTFP - An expansive look at SB382 and related measures

would require additional planning by local governments, rework how and when residents can participate in planning decisions and, supporters say, make it easier to build the housing necessary to accommodate rapid population growth

At MTFP - An expansive look at SB382 and related measures
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Read the full article at the Montana Free Press by Eric Dietrich
Excerpt:
“Local government leaders have opposed those one-off zoning measures, saying many cities are already taking steps toward zoning reform and arguing the Legislature will throw a wrench in their planning efforts if it steps in with top-down mandates. They’ve pointed to Mandeville’s now-unveiled overhaul bill as a comprehensive alternative that will promote housing construction while maintaining local control of land use decisions.
The bill’s language, Lynch said, has been negotiated over a period of years through a workgroup that brought together city and county governments, land use planners, surveyors, the Montana Building Industry Association and the Montana Association of Realtors.
The 48-page SB 382 would require city and county governments in the state’s most-populous counties to expand their proactive planning efforts, producing forward-looking land use plans that inventory existing housing, analyze projected population growth and determine specifically where they’ll allow the construction of enough homes to house future residents.
Those local governments would be required to take specific steps to encourage more housing construction, selecting at least five development-boosting strategies from a menu of 15 options. Those options, many of which parallel proposals included in the ad hoc zoning reform bills, include steps like reducing parking requirements, reducing minimum lot sizes and zoning for higher density near universities and public transit stations.”

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