A Gallatin County judge Monday ruled that a slate of housing reform laws passed by the 2023 Legislature are constitutional.
The laws at question make it easier for Montana communities to construct higher-density housing like apartments and duplexes. They were part of a series of bills recommended by Governor Greg Giranforte’s Housing Task Force to increase Montana’s housing stock.
An advocacy group called Montanans Against Irresponsible Densification, or MAID, sued to block their implementation. Gallatin District Court Judge Mike Salvagni originally granted MAID a temporary block while the lawsuit progressed. That pause was overturned by the state supreme court last year, and the laws went into effect.
In his final ruling, Salvagni declared the laws around higher density units are constitutional. He sided with MAID on one provision, ruling that a change to zoning regulations that eliminated some public comment on new developments was unconstitutional.
