MISSOULA — Have you ever walked around Missoula and wondered how an out-of-place building got to be the place it is in? Well, this is largely because of zoning.
Zoning is essentially the regulations that dictate what kinds of buildings can go where. Some areas are zoned for commercial uses while others are residential.
The City of Missoula currently has over 80 different kinds of zoning districts, although it started with four, which has led to a patchwork of neighborhood characteristics.
Watch to learn more about zoning codes in Missoula:
The City of Missoula is looking to simplify and streamline its zoning districts now, in accordance with the land use plan it adopted last year.
To find out what a new zoning code could mean for the city and its growth, we spoke to the senior planner for the City of Missoula, Emily Gluckin.
“Planning is kind of a big puzzle. And there's a reason why a lot of planners were really into like the Sims and City Skyline,” said Gluckin.
The city’s new land use plan is a big piece of the puzzle. The plan designates different parts of Missoula into areas from high-density residential to low-density agricultural. That’s not to mention mixed-use areas.
Using the land use plan as its guiding light, the city will present a new zoning code, the Unified Development Code, to steer new development.
“It kind of gives us a geographic way to look at the city and say, we want this type of growth here. We want this type of building here, things like that,” said Gluckin.
The Missoula City Council has final say on the code, with a final hearing for approval planned in late December. If adopted, there wouldn’t necessarily be immediate change.
“It's a long-term thing. I mean, this is something to expect to see a change in 20 or 30 years. That's kind of the scope of our land use plan that goes to 2045, but you know, a lot of our neighborhoods in the city are already built out, so it's unlikely that, you know, we'll see those neighborhoods. Knock down the day after the code is updated and new buildings going in,” said Gluckin.
A framework will be set for future developments if the Missoula City Council chooses to adopt the new zoning code.
