Belgrade establishes permanent planning commission and adopts interim zoning changes under MLUPA

The Belgrade City Council on July 6 took steps to align local land-use bodies with the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA), adopting an interim zoning ordinance and a resolution to permanently establish a five-member planning commission.

Senior planner Brad Stein explained the interim, one-reading ordinance is a temporary measure (maximum one year) to convert references to the planning board into the planning commission in the zoning code and to modify appeals procedures for subdivisions in compliance with MLUPA. Stein said staff must revise approximately 50 references in the zoning code and adjust language related to hearings and administrative review.

Council then adopted a resolution to permanently establish the planning commission, expanding the body from three to five members and vesting it with planning-board and board-of-adjustments functions for subdivisions and appeals. The mayor had recommended two appointments (Matthew Anderson and Matthew Collingwood) to the planning commission and reappointment of Whitney Lonsdale to the Gallatin Valley Board of Health; the council approved the appointments.

The council and staff said the changes are part of an ongoing transition following the city's exit from an extraterritorial planning arrangement and are intended to streamline land-use review while meeting state statutory requirements.