Development Applications

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Development Services has received a request from 406 Engineering on behalf of Dougherty Ranch LLC, for a Phased Development Review and phasing plan amendment request for the Icon Apartment Homes at Dougherty Ranch Subdivision. The subdivision consists of 101 lots planned to be developed with 641 residential units for rent in two phases over a 9-year period. The property is located in the Mullan/Sxwtpqyen Neighborhood Master Plan area to the northwest of Flynn Lane and the south of US Highway 10 (Broadway) at the terminus of Veterans Way.

The property owner has requested to amend the approved phasing plan to push the filing deadlines for each phase out by three years. The amended phasing plan would establish a filing deadline for Phase 1 of January 2029 and for Phase 2 of January 2035.

Under Montana Code Annotated Section 76-3-617 and City Subdivision regulations 4-070.3, subdivisions approved as a phased development require a phased development review before submitting for a final plat for a phase of the subdivision and for amending an approved subdivision phasing plan. With this review, a public hearing is held to “determine whether any changed primary review criteria or impacts or new information exists that creates new potentially significant adverse impacts for the phase or phases commencing.” If new information or changed circumstances exist, City Council may amend conditions of approval or add new conditions of approval with their decision on the Phased Development Review and Phasing Plan Amendment.

PROJECT APPLICATION LINKS:

The request and other submittal materials can be viewed here:

https://missoulaparks.org/3230/Private-Development-Projects

PROJECT TIMELINE:

Land Use and Planning Committee: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (Time TBD)

City Council: Monday, February 23, 2026 at 6:00 PM

All meetings will be held in a hybrid format, with the option to attend in-person or virtually via Microsoft TEAMs. City Council meetings will be held in City Council Chambers (140 W Pine St.) Meeting agendas and information will be posted here: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes

PROJECT COMMENT:

Public comment will be taken by City Council until the meetings are closed. Comments can be submitted through Engage Missoula, via email to the planner noted below, by mailing in a letter to the City of Missoula Development Services office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meetings. Provide your comment by Friday, January 30, 2026, to accompany the staff report provided to City Council. Your comments will be considered by City Council in their decision to approve or deny this request.

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project planner is Lauren Stevens, who can be reached at 406-552-6054 or stevensl@ci.missoula.mt.us.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The City of Missoula Development Services office received a petition and Letter of Intent to Annex from Jeff Smith of WGM Group, on behalf of property owner Roseburg Resources Co., requesting annexation into the City of Missoula and zoning upon annexation of approximately 93 acres described as Tract 1 of Certificate of Survey No. 6982, Tract 8A of Certificate of Survey No. 6995, Tracts 2B and 4B of Certificate of Survey No. 7035 located in Sections 8 and 9, Township 13 North, Range 19 West, Missoula County, Montana. The property is located at 3300 Raser Drive and is the location of the former Roseburg Forest Products particleboard plant property. The 93-acre area is only a portion of the Roseburg site, with the remaining acreage tentatively planned to be annexed in 2026 or 2027.

The subject property encompasses 93 acres and is currently zoned Industrial Center, Heavy by Missoula County, with land use designations in the City’s ‘Our Missoula 2045 Land Use Plan’ of Industrial and Employment. Upon annexation into the City of Missoula, the City zoning is planned as M1-2 Limited Industrial.

PROJECT APPLICATION LINKS:

The application packet can be viewed here: https://missoulaparks.org/3230/Private-Development-Projects

PROJECT TIMELINE:

City Council: January 5, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Referral to Land Use and Planning Committee.

Land Use and Planning Committee: January 7, 2026 (Time TBD) – Consideration of Resolution to Annex and Zone, possible motion and vote.

City Council: January 12, 2026, at 6:00 pm – Final action on resolution on City Council Consent Agenda or Committee Reports.

All meetings will be held in person at City Council Chambers at 140 W. Pine Street and also virtually, with more information to be posted here: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes(External link)

PROJECT COMMENT DEADLINE:

Public comment will be taken by City Council until the public meetings are closed. Comments can be submitted through Engage Missoula, via email to the planner noted below, by mailing in a letter to the City of Missoula office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meetings. Provide your comment by Monday, December 29, 2025, to be included with the staff report provided to City Council. Your comments may be considered by City Council in their decision to approve or deny this request.

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project planner is Dave DeGrandpre, who can be reached at 406-552-6633 or degrandpred@ci.missoula.mt.us.

UPDATE: The project was returned to Council Committees on January 5, 2026 and will be voted on at a later date to be determined.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The City of Missoula Development Services has received a conditional use request from Frank Bodiker and Tom Lemmons of Lighthouse Baptist Church for a ground-mounted Wireless Communication Facility to be located at the property addressed as 5425 Gharrett Street in Missoula. The existing use of the property is Religious Assembly and the applicant is proposing a radio tower as a Wireless Communication Facility. The applicant is requesting the conditional use to provide a federally licensed, low-power FM radio station to serve the local Missoula community with educational, religious, and public service programming. The radio tower would be located on the southwest corner of the parcel. The proposed tower height is 80 feet. In addition to the tower there will be a small transmitter shed next to the tower, fencing and vehicle barriers.

The subject property is zoned R8 Residential. Title 20, Section 20.05.020 requires conditional use approval to establish a ground-mounted Wireless Communication Facility in the R8 zoning district. Title 20, Section 20.105.060 defines a Wireless Communication Facility use as “Facilities related to the use of the radio frequency spectrum for the purposes of transmitting or receiving radio signals, and may include, but is not limited to, radio towers, television towers, telephone exchanges, micro-wave relay towers, telephone transmission equipment buildings, commercial mobile radio service facilities or other personal wireless services (such as cellular, personal communication service, paging, specialized mobile radio, and other similar services.) This use category includes all associated equipment unless the written context clearly indicates that another meaning is intended. The term "associated equipment" is to be read broadly and in context. Associated equipment may include, but is not limited to: antenna, equipment shelter or platform, lighting, monopole tower, mounting hardware, supporting electrical or mechanical equipment, access road, and guy system.”

Title 20, Section 20.40.160 applies use and building specific standards to Wireless Communication Facilities. Section 20.40.160.B.1.d exempts radio towers from this section.

City Council is responsible for conducting a public hearing to either approve, conditionally approve, or deny this request.

The subject property is located in the Moose Can Gully Neighborhood and Ward 5.

PROJECT APPLICATION LINKS:

You can review the full application on the City of Missoula website at https://missoulaparks.org/3230/Private-Development-Projects

PROJECT TIMELINE:

City Council: December 15, 2025, at 6:00 pm – City Council consent agenda/Council refers items to Land Use and Planning Committee

Land Use & Planning Committee: December 17, 2025, at time TBD – Informational meeting only

City Council: January 5, 2026, at 6:00 pm – City Council Public Hearing and Final Consideration

PROJECT COMMENT DEADLINE:

Public comment will be taken by City Council until the public hearings are closed. Comments can be submitted through Engage Missoula, via email to the Planner noted below, by mailing a letter to the City of Missoula office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meeting. Provide your comment by Monday, December 8, 2025, to be included in the staff report provided to City Council.

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project Planner is Zoe Walters and can be reached at (406) 552-6399 or waltersz@ci.missoula.mt.us.

UPDATE: The project was approved on November 17, 2025. This case is now closed for comment.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

City of Missoula Community Planning, Development, and Innovation has received a notice from Missoula County Public Schools of their intent to install a dynamic reader board sign at CS Porter Middle School. CS Porter Middle School is located at 2510 Central Avenue. The sign will be approximately 24.81 square feet in area and 13.5 feet off the ground. The sign will be installed on the corner of Reserve St and Central Ave. The reader board will be primarily used for messaging families and public on events and important dates happening at the school. The display could change daily and will be programmed to turn off between the hours of 10pm-6am.

The sign will not be meeting the dynamic display and ground sign zoning requirements. The proposed sign will be larger than the maximum allowed area and exceed the maximum height for ground signs in RT2.7 Residential (Title 20, Chapter 20.75.050). The maximum area allowed is 24 square feet and the maximum height is 6 feet. The proposed dynamic display sign is permitted only in B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, M1, and M2 zoning districts (Title 20, Chapter 20.75.070.F.1). This sign will be in the RT2.7 zoning district. The dynamic display portion of the sign may not exceed 40 square feet or 50% of the total area of the sign, whichever is less, and must be computed as part of the sign’s total area (Title 20, Chapter 20.75.050.F2). The displays will exceed 50% of the total sign.

City Council is authorized by state law to hold a public hearing, known as a public forum, when a public agency proposes to use public land contrary to the local zoning regulations. The public agency in this case is Missoula County Public Schools. City Council does not have the power to deny or condition the approval of the project. The proposed use is permitted regardless of the outcome of the hearing. However, public comment is greatly appreciated.

PROJECT APPLICATION LINKS:

The application packet can be viewed here:

https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1638/Private-Development-Projects

PROJECT TIMELINE:

The hearing date is scheduled for November 17^th, 2025, at 6:00 PM. Information on how to attend the meeting virtually or in-person is posted here: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes

PROJECT COMMENT DEADLINE:

Public comment will be taken by City Council until the public hearing is closed. Comments can be submitted through Engage Missoula, via email to the planner noted below, by mailing in a letter to the City of Missoula office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meeting.

Your comments may be considered by Missoula County Public Schools when moving forward with their proposal.

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project planner is Claire Lovelace and can be reached at (406) 552-6671, or lovelacec@ci.missoula.mt.us.

UPDATE: The project was approved on November 17, 2025. This case is now closed for comment.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Development Services received a request from 406 Engineering, Inc., on behalf of Denova Homes, to amend the approved phasing plan for the Aspire Subdivision. The Aspire Subdivision is a residential development project located at 110 Sommers Street in East Missoula. The subdivision consists of 182 lots planned to be developed in six phases over a 10-year period. The Missoula City Council conditionally approved the preliminary subdivision plat and phasing plan in August of 2024.

The subdivider planned to record the Phase 1 final plat by December 31, 2025. However, due to ongoing litigation over the development, the subdivider requested to push the date of recording of the Phase 1 final plat back to December 31, 2028, with the remaining phases to be recorded every two subsequent years.

PROJECT APPLICATION LINKS:

The application, preliminary plat, and other materials can be viewed here: https://missoulaparks.org/3230/Private-Development-Projects

PROJECT TIMELINE:

City Council Consent Agenda: November 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM – Refer the item to the City Council Land Use and Planning Committee and Set the Public Hearing

Land Use and Planning Committee: November 12, 2025 time TBD – Informational Item (no decision)

City Council: November 17, 2025 at 6:00 PM – City Council Public Hearing

All meeting are held in a hybrid format, with the option to attend in-person or virtually via Microsoft TEAMs. City Council meetings will be held in City Council Chambers (140 W Pine St.) Meeting agendas and information will be posted here: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes

PROJECT COMMENT DEADLINE:

Public comment will be taken by City Council until the public hearings are closed. Comments can be submitted through Engage Missoula, via email to the planner noted below, by mailing in a letter to the City of Missoula Development Services office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meetings. Provide your comment by Wednesday, November 5^th, to be included in the staff report provided to City Council. Your comments will be considered by City Council in their decision to approve or deny this request.

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project planner is Dave DeGrandpre, who can be reached at (406) 552-6633 or degrandpred@ci.missoula.mt.us.

REVIEW CRITERIA FOR PHASED DEVELOPMENT:

The Missoula City Council shall determine whether any changed primary review criteria impacts or new information exists that create new potentially significant adverse impacts for the subdivision. Further, Montana Code Annotated Section 76-3-617(1) states that following a public hearing, the subdivider may change the schedule for review of each phase of the subdivision upon approval of the governing body if the change does not negate the conditions of approval or otherwise adversely affect public health, safety, and welfare.

Primary Review Criteria:

1. Impact on agriculture;
2. Impact on agricultural water user facilities;
3. Impact on local services;
4. Impact on the natural environment;
5. Impact on wildlife;
6. Impact on wildlife habitat; and
7. Impact on public health and safety.