Project Overview:

The Montana Land Use Planning Act (LUPA) is legislation aimed at fostering the well-being of Montana's residents by implementing comprehensive land use planning. The Act emphasizes coordinated and planned growth to ensure adequate housing, public services, and infrastructure. The legislation underscores the importance of broad public participation in the development, adoption, and amendment of land use plans, zoning regulations, and subdivision regulations. The intent is to create a framework that facilitates data collection, analysis, and inclusive decision-making to guide development in alignment with the overall land use plan, ensuring the protection of citizens, property, and the environment.

This project is broken into 2 major phases, the first focusing on the creation of a new Land Use Plan and Future Land Use Map for the City and the second focusing on updating regulatory documents like zoning and subdivision regulations to completely implement SB382.

Consultants should be aware there are two efforts underway which should work in tandem with this effort, the West Billings Neighborhood and Plan and Heights Neighborhood Plan. The Scope of Work of these projects was written in such a way to have the land use mapping component and housing analysis to meet the requirements of SB382 and ultimately be adopted by reference into the complete Land Use Plan as part of Phase 1 of this project.

PHASE 1 – Land Use Planning

1. Project Kickoff
   1. Conduct a stakeholder meeting to present the project timeline and desired outcomes. The overall project timeline requires complete implementation of the land use plan, zoning, and subdivision regulations by May of 2026. The Land Use Planning Phase should be completed within 12 months.
   2. Form a steering committee, comprising key stakeholders representing diverse interests in the City, to make recommendations to the Interim Planning Commission on the elements of the Land Use Plan and Future Land Use Map and help guide the planning process. This committee can be comprised of staff representatives, local officials, Task Force members from the study area, and the public.
2. Public Participation and Engagement
   1. City staff has developed a Public Participation Plan. The consultant will need to prepare a project specific outreach plan that is consistent with the City's PPP. The consultant's strategy must allow for a final delivery which includes a complete log of all public engagement and comment for the duration of the project.
   2. Conduct and analyze a series of community workshops, open houses, and focus group discussions to gather ideas, concerns, and suggestions. Open house or meeting presentations should be recorded and be included on the website for public view.
   3. Create a dedicated project website for the benefit of the public. Facilitate online surveys, mapping or other tools and utilize social media platforms to gather public opinion and increase engagement.
   4. Maintain transparency by sharing project progress, findings, and meeting minutes on the dedicated project website and through regular communications.
3. Visioning
   1. Utilizing the Interim Planning Commission, steering committee, community stakeholders, and public engagement to formulate a vision statement to guide the development of the plan.
   2. Comprehensive Analysis – Each subsection shall be in compliance and incorporate all requirements within Sections 9-14 of the Montana Land Use Planning Act.
   3. Concurrent project coordination – The West Billings and Heights Neighborhood Plans will be underway throughout the development of this growth policy effort. In order to achieve efficiency of process and budget, the consultant will need to account for utilizing the future land use map and housing analysis for these plan areas and incorporate them into the methodologies and ultimately the final plan product.
   4. Area and Issue Plans the City has adopted which should be acknowledged by reference in this plan and where feasible. A part of this task should include an analysis of whether the City's already adopted plans will substantially meet the detailed analysis requirements of Sections 9-14 of SB382.
4. Population
   1. Prepare an existing conditions and population projections for the study area, using the most recent census estimates, as well as other data sources that may be available.
5. Housing
   1. Identify and analyze existing and projected housing needs for the City's projected population. The existing conditions analysis should be quantifiable and consider housing stock characteristics including age, condition, occupancy, etc. The Projected housing analysis needs to also be quantifiable and consider how much housing is needed in the future and what types of housing in order to accommodate the City's projected population.
   2. Develop an inventory of sites for housing development, analyzing constraints such as zoning, unzoning, underutilized, vacant, potential redevelopment, development standards, and infrastructure needs. The City's Annexation Policy should be consulted when identifying sites for new housing development.
   3. Complete a regulatory audit to ensure zoning regulations can accommodate the identified housing types.
   4. Propose a list of recommendations to be implemented by the governing body in order to accommodate the projected housing needs.
   5. Develop metrics to be used with each 5-year update of the plan to measure progress on housing needs.
6. Local Services and Facilities – The City has many adopted plans regarding local services and future needs. These plans should be reviewed and incorporated by reference in this plan. This element of the land use plan should contain a narrative with major highlights and anticipated needs. This portion of the plan should incorporate detailed planning efforts by reference.
   1. First Responders
      1. Create an inventory of maps that show service areas and response times for law enforcement, fire, and other emergency services.
      2. In the context of population projections, identify capital needs for law enforcement, fire, and other emergency services. (existing plans - These items may be incorporated by reference)
   2. Public Utilities
      1. Work with City Public Works to determine existing capacity, existing deficiencies, planned expansion, and anticipated levels of utility services necessary to serve the projected population in the jurisdiction, including water, wastewater, and storm water systems, solid waste disposal, and other utility services as directed by City Public Works
      2. Identify local utility capital and service improvements for the jurisdictional area necessary to meet the projected population. The City adopts a Capital Improvement Plan annually that can be incorporated by reference.
   3. Transportation Networks
      1. Utilizing resources from the City's most recently adopted Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Ped Bike Master Plan. Reference mapping resources that show all infrastructure.
      2. Identify future transportation capital and service improvement projects as identified in the LRTP and other plans like the Bike Ped Master Plan. It is not expected for this to be a separate analysis, these items should be adopted in the final plan by reference.
   4. Education
      1. Survey and summarize school district needs within the city and planned growth area to meet the projected population.
7. Economic Development
   1. Identify and analyze existing and projected economic development needs. The existing conditions and needs analysis should consider existing data sources and also include a series of surveys and interviews with local businesses and community organizations to understand existing conditions and future needs.
   2. Develop an inventory of sites for commercial and industrial development, analyzing constraints such as zoning, development standards, and infrastructure needs. The City's Annexation Policy should be consulted when identifying new sites for development. The analysis should also consider redevelopment of sites as applicable.
   3. Evaluate the financial feasibility for the City to meet anticipated economic growth (Cost of Service Study will be a resource for this item) Compile recommendations for potential funding sources and tools to meet financial demands of economic growth.
   4. Complete a regulatory audit to ensure zoning regulations can accommodate the identified commercial and industrial growth.
   5. Propose a list of recommendations to be implemented by the governing body in order to accommodate the economic development growth.
8. Natural Resources, Environment, Natural Hazards
   1. Inventory and map natural resources within the City. The map should be supported by an explanation of the natural resources including historic resource utilization, current utilization, and projected trends for natural resource utilization.
   2. Inventory and map the natural environment and summarize existing conditions and potential threats to the natural environment.
   3. Inventory and map known natural hazards. The map should be supported with explanation of constraints caused by the identified hazards.
   4. Incorporate by reference any disaster preparedness and mitigation planning in which the City has completed.
9. Plan Development
   1. Future Land Use Map
      1. Utilizing the mapping and site inventory resources created and developed in Section 3 B-F of this document, develop a Future Land Use Map as an interactive GIS-based tool to refine, inform and reflect comprehensive analysis of each plan element. The map should evaluate development needs for a 20-year horizon and include the components identified.
      2. Develop a detailed narrative to explain its purpose and the requirement that the Future Land Use Map be followed for land use planning development decisions. The narrative should also include a description of each land use identification type and describe anticipated densities, housing types, desire units, etc.
   2. Area and Issue Plans Acknowledgement
      1. The City has adopted a variety of plans which should be acknowledged by reference in this plan.
   3. Goals and Objectives
      1. Based on the comprehensive analysis outcomes and public participation create goals and objectives that will guide the community and its land use decisions for the 20-year horizon of the plan with supporting narrative.
10. Implementation Strategies and Reporting Metrics (Section 17)
    1. Develop a specific implementation strategy for the comprehensive land use plan that identifies clear reporting metrics that can be used by the City during its 5-year review process.
    2. Provide implementation direction with clear direction for the content of more detailed land use regulations.
    3. Define clear process for land use plan amendments, including singular actions such as a map amendment.

PHASE 2 – Regulatory Audit, Assessment and Transition

1. Transition Planning
   1. Create a transition plan from the Montana Subdivision and Platting Act to the Land Use Planning Act, including a plan to achieve required milestones to effectively "go live" with all requirements of Senate Bill 382.
2. Zoning Regulation Audit
   1. Identify whether inconsistencies exist between current zoning regulations and the land use plan and future land use map. If inconsistencies exist identify them with a timeframe for adoptions.
   2. In accordance with Section 19 of the bill, create an audit documenting the housing strategies that are included in the regulations to document compliance with the bill.
   3. Review the City's adopted zoning regulations for compliance with Section 20. If it is found that the City's zoning regulations are found to carry out any items listed in Section 20, create a table that describes the code section where the activity is occurring that is non-compliant with a recommended action to resolve the issue.
   4. Propose zoning code amendments in accordance with outcome of item c. above.
3. Subdivision Regulation Audit and Re-Write
   1. Review, evaluate and recommend what portions of the subdivision regulations can remain unchanged. It is the City's intention to keep all design standards as currently required.
   2. Draft new administrative procedures for the review of all subdivisions in accordance with Sections 29-38.

PLAN AND DOCUMENT ADOPTION

1. Adoption and "Go Live" of SB382
   1. The consultant should develop a schedule for both the adoption of the complete Land Use Plan and all regulatory documents. The consultant should anticipate a series of public hearings for the Land Use Plan and each regulatory document. The Plan and all documents are required to be fully adopted and in place by no later than April 2026.

Plan Resource Inventory:

https://www.billingsmt.gov/2336/Transportation-Resources

https://www.billingsmt.gov/843/Community-Neighborhood-Plans

DELIVERABLES

• Weekly email updates to the Steering Committee and local governing bodies.
• Electronic version of the Plan that may be posted to websites, and easily sent to stakeholders.
• Electronic version of the Executive Summary as a standalone document
• Up to 10 printed copies of the plan and digital copy with native files.