Nov. 12 – The Kalispell Planning Commission will begin developing a new land use plan and regulations for the city on Tuesday.
The commission is tasked with creating a new and improved land use plan after Governor Greg Gianforte signs Senate Bill 382, also known as the Montana Land Use Planning Act, into law in May 2023. The bill is one of several pro-construction measures passed by the state Legislature. was passed in 2023 in hopes of easing the statewide housing crisis.
Nine other cities in the state “must adopt a new land use plan to replace their existing growth policies and update local zoning and subdivision regulations” in accordance with the bill, according to the city’s website.
The new plan must be adopted by May 2026.
The Planning Commission will meet at City Hall, 201 First Ave. on November 12 at 6 p.m. E.
Work on the new plan will rely heavily on public input and become a guiding document for future land use decisions, according to a memo from PJ Sorensen, deputy director of Kalispell Development Services.
Because the plan will be shaped by public opinion, community input on specific projects will be limited in the future.
“The opportunity for the public to be involved comes through the plan and regulatory adoption process, not through the review of a site-specific project,” Sorensen’s memo said.
According to a city memo, the city received $30,000 for public outreach efforts, including hiring a public relations contractor to help with outreach. The money came from the Department of Commerce’s Montana Community Reinvestment Plan Act Planning Grant.
Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at junderhill@dailyinterlake.com and 758-4407.
