Missoula City Council Land Use and Planning Committee Minutes

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

1:35 P.m. - 3:35 P.m.

ZOOM Webinar

Members present:

• Stacie Anderson,
• Mirtha Becerra,
• John P. Contos,
• Heather Harp,
• Jordan Hess,
• Gwen Jones,
• Amber Sherrill,
• Sandra Vasecka,
• and Heidi West

Members absent:

• Julie Merritt,
• Jesse Ramos,
• and Bryan von Lossberg

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1.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS

The meeting was called to order at 1:38 pm.

1.1

Roll Call

Amanda Vermace called the roll.

1.2

Approval of the Minutes

1.2.1

Approval of the Minutes from September 29, 2021

​​​​​​​​The minutes were approved as submitted.

2.

PUBLIC COMMENT

There was no public comment.

3.

COMMITTEE BUSINESS

3.1

Annexation of Linda Vista 11th Supplement, Linda Vista 18th Supplement, and Tract 3A of Certificate Of Survey No. 6798

Dave DeGrandpre

Dave DeGrandpre, Permits and Land Use planning supervisor with the Community Planning, Development and Innovation department was available for questions and comments. Mr. DeGrandpre had no updates from the public hearing held on October 25, 2021, at the City Council meeting. The committee requested some clarification on the parcels involved. Mr. DeGrandpre provided a refresher on the Linda Vista project. 

John Contos joined the meeting at 1:43 pm.

Aaron Wilson, Infrastructure & Mobility planning manager with Public Works and Mobility, was also present and provided information over traffic concerns in the area and any analysis done to determine current traffic and what infrastructure plans would be implemented to handle the increased traffic as development grows in the Linda Vista area. Mr. Wilson explained some of the obstacles encountered to date with the transportation plans for the area.

• Post public hearing - discussion only

  Vote results:

3.2

2020 Long Range Transportation Plan

Aaron Wilson

The City Council will hold this public hearing open for a week and will take it up on November 1, 2021, under final consideration.

Aaron Wilson, Infrastructure & Mobility planning manager with Public Works and Mobility, responded to some of the questions and comments received during the public hearing which was held on Monday, October 25, 2021, at the City Council meeting. The focus was on the practicality and balancing of the Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). Mr. Wilson informed the committee that the growth of the community has resulted in a higher demand for projects surrounding transportation without sufficient funding and has created a competition for projects to get off the ground. He also included discussion topics that help with the decision making process. Mr. Wilson added that the 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan would replace the 2016 Long Rang Transportation Plan with Missoula Connect.

• Post public hearing - discussion only

  Vote results:

3.3

Growth Policy 5-Year Review

Benjamin Brewer

Informational item - discussion only

Ben Brewer, planning supervisor with the Community Planning division within the Community Planning, Development and Innovation department introduced the item. The presentation covered the Our Missoula Growth Policy 5-year plan review and was held for discussion only. Mr. Brewer gave information on where the growth policy is located and what is covered within the policy. He also gave details on the criteria that was reviewed and the subsequent findings. The criteria reviewed consisted of; 

1. Changes in the legal framework regarding Growth Policy or its implementation;
2. Significant changes in existing conditions and projected trends;
3. Changes in the circumstances upon which the goals and objectives are based;
4. Changes in community goals;
5. Degree to which meeting goals and objectives have been met;
6. Completion of implementation strategies;
7. Deviation from implementation timetable;
8. Public input suggesting the need to make changes; and,
9. Knowledge of specific and identifiable amendments that would improve the Growth Policy’s usefulness, so that it better serves the public.

Mr. Brewer went over each criterion and how they are incorporated into the growth policy. He also covered recommendations based on staff findings and provided a timeline for tasks involved in the implementation of the policy. 

The committee expressed appreciation for the work that goes into making the policy. One item that was focused on was the code reform project and how it ties into the growth policy. They also discussed the relation between code reform work and the growth policy work. Coordination between the City of Missoula and Missoula County was suggested to help with growth and land use in the community. The committee also expressed they would like to see projects be more cost effective when it comes to transportation and land use. Additional feedback is encouraged and should e submitted through the Engage Missoula website under the Growth Policy's project page.

4.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 3:23 pm.