MISSOULA — The Missoula City Council adopted the Sx͏ʷtpqyen Neighborhoods Master Plan Monday night in a unanimous vote.
It's a project that council, developers, and community members have collaborated on since January.
The plan, which encompasses roughly 2,000 acres on the western edge of the city, features several neighborhoods with a variety of housing types at different price points.
Developers envision a mix of these neighborhoods, along with town centers and a variety of transit options.
Perhaps most importantly, the plan features a type of zoning new to Missoula and many other communities across the country.
Form-based zoning ensures that land use is predictable, regulating development that controls building form first, and building use second.
Sx͏ʷtpqyen received overwhelming support from the city council. Stacie Anderson of Ward 5 said this is the perfect way to utilize the precious land we have left here in the Missoula Valley.
"I have been known to say that the land factory is closed. We are not making any more, and we need to utilize land that we do have for development to the highest and best use," said Anderson,
"What I love so much about this project is that it's so much more of a holistic comprehensive neighborhood plan that thinks about all the various aspects, versus just a subdivision here, a townhome here...and it really thinks about all the things that make community."
Missoula County Commissioners will hold their vote for the plan on Jan. 7.
