Why is the City using outside consultants for this project?

Our Missoula is a complex project that requires expertise in planning, facilitation, and code development. The breadth of expertise that the project requires includes:

• Community engagement that focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion;
• Knowledge of zoning and other land use regulations;
• Process and equity auditing;
• National and Montana land use law;
• Transportation, architecture and design, and historic preservation best practices;
• Utility infrastructure and environmental resource protection;
• Development financing;
• Implementation of sustainability initiatives;
• and best practices in community planning and policy development.

A larger team consisting of City staff and consultants expands capacity and is more efficient. This project requires responsiveness.

Shifting the code from what it is to what it could be takes global expertise that the consultant team brings. The Our Missoula project will involve some challenging conversations about the kind of change we want to see in our shared community. There is a benefit to having an outside party guide those conversations from a neutral vantage point. Consultants bring ideas rooted in best practices and based on experience with other communities doing similar work and facing similar challenges. The consultant team is there as a resource, not to lead. It is ultimately up to us all to decide what we want to do in our own community.