After more than three years, the journey to reshape Missoula’s zoning policies came to a unanimous end. The major overhaul will allow developers to build more and larger apartment complexes, and loosen rules for how many housing units can sit on a single plot, among other changes.
Council member Jennifer Savage said Missoula has grown a lot in recent years, and a handful of neighborhoods have borne the brunt of that growth.
“And I hope that this code will make it so that every neighborhood can do their part, and every neighborhood can welcome new neighbors,” Savage said. “Every neighborhood can have more density.”
The city first revised its land use plan, a document that guides Missoula’s growth for the next 20 years. Montana’s largest communities are all changing their own land use plans to align with new state laws that require denser residential development.
Missoula’s land use plan passed in late 2024, and the city started work to change its zoning rules. Residents and council staff engaged in long debates over how to keep Missoula’s character intact while allowing as much new affordable housing as possible. The plan predicts the city will need as many as 27,000 new homes by 2045 to meet the demand.
Council members said the new zoning code sets Missoula on the path to achieving that goal – though they noted there is still room to revise the rules in the future.
