Supporters have called it the Montana Miracle, legislation that overhauls how land is used and developed in the state of Montana, and it's happening right here in Billings.
Some are happy with the pro-housing reform, while others are deeply concerned, including some Billings City Council members.
Watch new subdivision approval process here:
An example of what's changing is the process for approving subdivisions, such as the Barbara Farms subdivision west of Billings.
It’s 55 acres of what was once farmland near Central Avenue between 44th Street West and 45th Street West and was approved by the City Council last week.
Nearby residents fought unsuccessfully to block the proposed subdivision made up of 360 rental units to be built around their communities.
With this new legislation, these voices will be mostly silenced.
“It will be a planning commission,” said Councilman Bill Kennedy. “It will be the planning director who will have the most power to make those decisions. ”
Billings planning director Wyeth Friday, along with the planning board, will make the final decision on these types of requests, not the Billings City Council.
“You're no longer going to go through the zoning commission or the city council,” Friday said. “It's going to be administratively approved by staff in a shorter time frame.”
And that works for some. Both Friday and City Councilman Scott Aspenlieder say these changes will streamline the process.
“This is going to have an impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of development, which in turn is going to have a direct impact on the cost of housing,” Aspenlieder said.
The Montana Land Use Planning Act, the main legislation in Gov. Greg Gianforte's housing affordability package, is all about fixing Montana's housing crisis, according to supporters, requiring cities with populations of more than 5,000 to adopt new plans, maps, zoning, and subdivision regulations.
“We take out the unpredictability of council decisions,” Aspenlieder said.
Others disagree.
“I really resent the state telling us what to do, and we're losing local control,” Deputy Mayor Mike Boyett said at a special council meeting on Tuesday.
Boyett and some other city council members are against the state dictating what the city must do in the name of increasing affordable housing.
“If a city simply decides that it doesn't want to grow or wants to grow in a certain way, they should be allowed to do that without interference and direction by Uncle Sam, in this case, Helena," said Councilman Tony O’Donnell.
O'Donnell says it's the free market that will bring in more housing.
“They will build without all these government restrictions and regulations,” O’Donnell said.
The council will vote on the final zoning map next Monday.
It will outline the city's growth plan for the next 20 years and must be approved by May 17.
The new regulations go into effect on July 1.
“We've done a good job working with staff to come up with a plan that's going to work for Billings,” said Aspenlieder.
“A little bit more is taken away from local government,” Kennedy said.
