Sign up for the free Missoula This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Missoula city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events.
07/10/2026
“Missoula This Week” is reported and written By Katie Fairbanks. Send your Missoula news and tips to [email protected].
Time, evaluation will tell if code is advancing housing goals
Missoula’s new unified development code appears to be improving the permitting process for housing and commercial projects, city staff say, but tweaks are needed as implementation continues.
The city council in February adopted the unified development code — encompassing zoning, subdivision, public works and parks-related regulations — aimed at increasing housing throughout the city, as well as streamlining the development process.
Planning staff told the Missoula City Council Wednesday the new code is more efficient, but there has been some confusion and questions about navigating and interpreting some of the regulations. Most of the issues are technical and just need clarification, said Cassie Tripard, the city’s planning supervisor.
“Overall, the code is easier to implement than the previous code and is allowing us to tackle projects faster,” she said.
The code implements the city’s new land use plan, which aims to expand housing opportunities, improve walkability and address climate goals. The plan calls for 1,100 to 1,500 new housing units annually for the next 10 years to address the current deficit and meet new demand. The new zoning map allows apartments in 89% of residential and mixed-use districts, a significant change from the previous zoning, which allowed only single-family homes or duplexes in 64% of the city’s residential areas.
As of July 2, all development and construction permit applications must comply with the new code. The city has processed about 70 building permits under the new code and has received early feedback that it is resulting in quicker and often simpler reviews, said Eran Pehan, director of the city’s Community Planning, Development and Innovation Department, during a press conference Tuesday. More time and further evaluation is needed to see if the code is resulting in the city’s other goals, including the construction of more housing types throughout Missoula, increased infill development and improved walkability, she said.
Most of the building permits issued have been for single-family homes in recently platted subdivisions, Tripard said Wednesday. The city has yet to permit an apartment building under the new code but has held several pre-application meetings for those projects, which are more complicated, she said.
The city created a new permit dashboard on its website that includes application numbers, review timelines and resubmission rates. The data will help the city track its progress in improving the development review process and provide insight for developers and the public, Walter Banziger, deputy director of development services, told the council Wednesday. New interactive maps of the zoning districts, place types, floodplain and historic districts are also available on the city’s website.
City staff are working to address early issues or conflicts in the code, one of which the council approved a fix for Wednesday. That change allows for a maximum driveway width of 35 feet in limited-urban and rural residential areas where developers are building homes with three-car garages.
Pehan said the planning staff are reviewing the most common and immediate issues for the council to consider at the end of the year.
“When we identify things that are holding projects up and that definitely are applying to or impacting more than one project, we’re going to work through a fix more quickly so that we can get those projects moving ahead,” Pehan said Tuesday.
The city also plans to begin its annexation policy update and sensitive lands planning, Pehan told the council Wednesday. A $390,000 federal grant from the Montana Department of Commerce will help the city pay for updates to its annexation policy, and the bulk of the other work will be done by city staff and won’t require additional funding or consultants, she said.
Planning staff members are also working on a dashboard to track what types of housing are being built and where, including proximity to transit lines, Banziger said Tuesday.
Mayor Andrea Davis said Tuesday the map could help ensure neighborhoods seeing development are also receiving necessary infrastructure improvements.
“We want to be able to track where people are building, how they’re building, what those homes are renting for, what those homes are selling for, what kind of commercial is getting developed, so we can see that our zoning framework, building codes, and the process to actually get these homes and businesses built, commercial built, are actually producing the outcomes that we have been seeking as a community,” Davis said.
The improved review process should also contribute to the city’s affordability goal, Davis said.
“We believe that the changes that we’ll be putting in place will make this process more predictable, streamlined and therefore save development dollars,” she said. “And ideally those get passed on to the homeowner, that gets passed on to the renter”
By the Numbers
The number of calls Missoula County 911 received about fireworks between July 3 and July 5, according to the Missoula Fire Department. In that same period, the department responded to three fireworks-related fires, including one that destroyed a home and two wildland fires.
On July 4, firefighters responded to a house fire on Logan Court in the Linda Vista neighborhood caused by malfunctioning aerial fireworks, according to the department. The fireworks traveled laterally instead of launching into the air as intended and landed in a large juniper shrub next to the house, according to bystander statements. The homeowner unsuccessfully tried to put out the fire, which spread rapidly to the house. Firefighters prevented the fire from spreading to the garage and neighboring homes.
“While this incident could have been prevented by abstaining from using fireworks, we send sincere condolences to the family who lost so much in this fire. We are grateful that everyone made it out safely and no one was injured and we recognize the emotional impact of losing a home and cherished belongings.”
Most fireworks are banned within city limits.
5 Things to Know in Missoula
The Missoula County commissioners Thursday approved a rezone request for the Blackfoot Crossing residential and commercial development in Bonner. Property owner Gregory Morse plans to convert the 107-acre former log yard into a mix of commercial, residential, industrial and recreational/open spaces. Morse requested that the property be rezoned to allow housing, water infrastructure and a truck stop. The area was previously zoned for industrial use. In March, the commissioners preliminarily approved the zoning request with a change that would prevent the truck stop from being built on the property following opposition from neighbors. Jamie Erbacher with WGM Group said as of right now, the development team is only working on a townhome development on one lot in the center of the south side of the property.
The Missoula City Council Monday extended a ban on issuing business licenses for new cannabis dispensaries through July 2027. The council also updated the ban to allow existing dispensaries to relocate. In July 2024, the council set a two-year moratorium on business licenses for recreational dispensaries, which also prevented them from moving within the city. The updated city ban will line up with the statewide moratorium on new marijuana licenses, which the Legislature extended until June 30, 2027. Allowing established businesses to move may support a more appropriate distribution of dispensaries in the city over time, said Megan McCarthy, the city’s permits and business license manager. Council Member Gwen Jones said the original impetus for the city’s ban was concerns about youth cannabis use and she hoped the changes will lead to a gradual decrease in dispensaries.
Missoula County commissioners Tuesday signed a letter to the federal Office of Management and Budget outlining concerns with proposed changes to the rules governing grants. The letter highlights the county’s concerns about key changes in the 400 pages of proposed revisions, including allowing termination in the middle of a grant cycle without defining cause, the ability for the federal government to implement new terms and conditions throughout the grant cycle and requiring the county to ensure subrecipients comply with “viewpoint-neutraility” requirements. The changes would add uncertainty to federal funding and put the county at financial risk because most of the grants operate on a reimbursement basis, said Melissa Gordon, the county’s director of grants and community resources. The rules would also affect federal pass-through grants the county receives from the state, Gordon said. Public comment on the proposal is due July 13 and the proposed changes could go into effect Oct. 1, she said.
On Tuesday, the Missoula County commissioners accepted a $500,000 grant for a new septic replacement program. The state Community Development Block Grant would help low- to moderate-income homeowners outside city limits replace failing septic systems. Owner-occupied, single-family homes with households earning 80% of the area median income would be eligible, according to information presented in November when the county applied for the grant. Commissioner Josh Slotnick said Tuesday that $500,000 will not go “super far” but the county hopes to help as many people as possible.
A stretch of the Blackfoot River near Bonner will be closed to floating beginning Wednesday through October due to construction on a railway bridge, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced this week. The river will be closed from the Weigh Station Fishing Access Site downstream to where the river crosses under Interstate 90 in the Milltown area. Small boats and tubes can still be carried in at the Milltown State Park confluence area as usual, just downstream of the closure area. The Sha-Ron Fishing Access Site is the first public access with a full boat launch downstream of the closure. Signs will be posted at access sites along the river upstream of the section closed to floating. A portion of the Gateway Trail at Milltown State Park will also be closed. More information and a map of the closure area are available online.
Might be Fun
The Northwest Margarita Fest takes place Saturday, July 11, at Caras Park. The event runs from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and includes a tequila and mezcal tasting tour, a margarita competition, food trucks, Latin music and games. The event is free to all ages, and drink tickets and tokens will be available to purchase.
The Missoula Public Library is holding a free block party on Main Street Friday, July 17, to celebrate five years in its new building. The event runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will include music from DJ Coach Shane and the Missoula Tuba Ensemble and activities hosted by the library and community partners. Food and refreshments will be available throughout the event, including one hour of free hot dogs provided by Food Not Bombs. The celebration will begin with an opening reception featuring Library Director Slaven Lee and library partners, as well as speakers Nicole Gomez and Chris La Tray.
The James Welch Native Lit Festival runs July 15 through July 18 in Missoula. This year’s festival will highlight Native poetry in recognition of Welch’s early writing years and his first publication, “Riding the Earthboy 40,” his only work of poetry, according to organizers. The festival will include free panels on fiction and poetry, readings and writing workshops for high school students. Featured Indigenous writers include Stephen Graham Jones, Sherwin Bitsui, Jake Skeets, Heather Cahoon and Arthur Sze, a U.S. Poet Laureate, National Book Award winner and professor emeritus at the Institute of American Indian Arts. The festival’s mission is to celebrate Welch’s writing along with contemporary Indigenous writers in the United States and beyond. More information about the festival and the schedule of events is available online.