The Columbia Falls City Council Monday finalized a new Future Land Use Plan as well as zoning and subdivision regulations that are designed to comply with the mandates of the Montana Land Use Planning Act as well as set a future vision for growth.

The state Land Use Planning Act brings sweeping changes to the way subdivisions and other housing projects are examined and approved in the future and drastically changes the way the public is involved.

The city’s Land Use Plan, which is supposed to be updated every five years, focuses the city’s future growth both to the north on former Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. lands and to the west and southwest along Highway 2, South Hilltop and North Hilltop.

It also targets about 24 acres around the Cedar Palace Medical Center off Twelfth Avenue West.

The land around Highway 2 West is about 95 acres, the CFAC land, now owned by developer Mick Ruis is about 314 acres.

It does not target land east of the river, but it also doesn’t change the zoning to a lower density like the county did.

All of the lands are currently outside the city limits and would require extension of city services like sewer and water.

The land use plan projects out growth for the next 20 years.

The council just recently approved a high density housing development on former CFAC lands owned by Ruis earlier this month. That project has more than 400 units. Ruis will pay for the utility extensions to the property.

The city contracted out the development of the Land Use Plan with Cushing Terrell and went over facets of it before approval. One aspect that is new is called Innovation/Flex and is a blend of housing on the second floor and innovative business on the first floor. The Cedar Palace property might be a good fit for that, but housing near Weyerhaeuser’s mill has proven problematic, as new residences often field complaints about the industry across the road. That happened with the Habitat for Humanity housing development on the Truck Route, noted planner Eric Mulcahy.

Councilwoman Marijke Stob openly wondered why the Highway 2 West corridor was targeted for only commercial development. The short answer is the Land Use Planning Act also allows for multifamily housing in commercial zones by default. So even if it’s zoned commercial, it could have an apartment complex, for example.

Mulcahy also noted that areas near North and South Hilltop are also planned for high density development.

The land Use Plan doesn’t really stray much from the 2019 plan. For example, even back then, the CFAC area was targeted for housing.

One of the big changes is public participation in the process. There will still be public hearings for annexations and zone changes, but subdivisions will only go through an administrative review.

If the public has an issue with the facts or wants to make a suggestion for a condition, they would have to file a written appeal within 15 days to the administrator. If that is rejected, they can appeal to the planning board and then, if need be, to council.  If council rejects the appeal, then a party can sue in district court.

The old process of public hearings with give-and-take from the various boards, public and developers to add (and sometimes take away) conditions to developments has been replaced with the appeal process.

The city plans on having some sort of notice on its website for upcoming projects, but the exact way it will work hasn’t been finalized.

The city also plans on re-examining some of the zoning code in the fall. For example, it will likely look at stream setback requirements and possibly zoning requirements that would address garbage and other food sources in areas where bears frequent neighborhoods.

They also just want to see how the process is going to work in the coming months. Already legislators are considering changes to the Land Use Planning Act. One facet of the law which has proven very unpopular in both Columbia Falls and Whitefish is a provision that allows for six-story buildings in commercial zones.

The state law also does away with single family housing as a stand alone subdivision, as any place a single family house is allowed, a duplex is allowed as well. In addition, the law allows for accessory dwelling units (small homes) to be built on lots where a single family home already exists.

The idea is create more housing in cities across the state. But how people who already live here will react when the law is fully implemented remains to be seen.