Rezoning: 500 South Higgins Avenue

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Consultation has concluded

UPDATE: On October 4th, 2021 City Council adopted an ordinance to rezone this property. This case is now closed for comment.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

An application is under review for rezoning of property located at 500 South Higgins Avenue. The property is located at the intersection of South Higgins Avenue and South 4th Street East. It is currently developed with the Missoulian building. The site is currently zoned Missoulian Planned Unit Development (PUD) and M1R-2 Limited Industrial-Residential. The applicant is seeking to change the zoning to C1-4 Neighborhood Commercial / Design Excellence Overlay Downtown Hipstrip Subdistrict for the area south

UPDATE: On October 4th, 2021 City Council adopted an ordinance to rezone this property. This case is now closed for comment.


PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

An application is under review for rezoning of property located at 500 South Higgins Avenue. The property is located at the intersection of South Higgins Avenue and South 4th Street East. It is currently developed with the Missoulian building. The site is currently zoned Missoulian Planned Unit Development (PUD) and M1R-2 Limited Industrial-Residential. The applicant is seeking to change the zoning to C1-4 Neighborhood Commercial / Design Excellence Overlay Downtown Hipstrip Subdistrict for the area south of the irrigation ditch and OP1 Open Space between the irrigation ditch and the Clark Fork River. City Council will either approve or deny the rezoning request. The requested zoning districts are standard zoning districts that apply equally to other areas of the City with the same zoning. City Council cannot approve the rezoning subject to conditions because State Law prohibits conditions of approval for rezones to standard zoning districts.

A Planned Unit Development (PUD) is a zoning district created to allow for a specific development. In this case, the current Missoulian PUD zoning is designed only to allow use of the parcel for office and newspaper printing. In order to allow other development on this parcel, a rezoning to a standard Title 20 zoning district is necessary. The C1-4 zoning district permits residential, commercial, and some industrial uses. The C1-4 zoning district has no setbacks and a maximum height of 125 feet. This zoning district permits a density of 43 dwelling units per acre. If the rezoning is approved, the Design Excellence Overlay will be applied to the portion of parcel zoned C1-4. The Design Excellence Overlay requires projects in the overlay to meet additional site and building design standards.

The applicant has applied for a boundary line relocation to allow the portion of the property between the Clark Fork River and irrigation ditch to be zoned to the OP1 Open Space. The OP1 zoning district only allows parks, agricultural, garden, and utility uses. This zoning district would allow for long term preservation of the existing open space and trail along the Clark Fork River.

The subject property is located in the University District Neighborhood Council.

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 office at 435 Ryman Street, Missoula, MT 59802, or during the public meetings. Provide your comment by Friday August 27th, 2021 to be included in the staff report provided to Planning Board. Your comments may be considered by Planning Board and City Council in their decision to approve or deny this request.

All meetings will be virtually via Zoom, with more information to be posted here: https://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/1149/AgendasWebcastsMinutes(External link)

PROJECT PLANNER:

The project planner is Cassie Tripard. She can be reached at (406) 552-6673 or TripardC@ci.missoula.mt.us.

Consultation has concluded

Submit public comment below or ask a question about the project. Comments will be sent to Planning Board and City Council for review. Please note that difficult questions may require substantial research and may not be posted to the page immediately. 

  • Share I agree with the commenters who are voicing support for this rezone to be approved, prioritizing adding dense housing via vertical building, minimal parking spaces, mixed-used with ground-level commercial space, and access to trails (as the developer has indicated). Zoning for new, dense buildings via infill projects like this is how we simultaneously combat the housing and climate crises. I firmly believe this project should be given a large density bonus of greater than 43 units/acre, and/or removal of mandatory minimum parking requirements in exchange for a portion of units set aside as dedicated affordable housing. These allowances would maximize the benefit the redevelopment of this lot can provide to our community and the climate alike. I also believe that this project should capitalize on the verticality it will be allotted if the rezone is approved, and build to the building height maximum of 125 feet in order to maximize the residential use of the valuable land it sits on (seriously, this location rocks), while moving us closer to our housing and climate goals. - Mason Dow, Climate Smart Missoula mason@climatesmartmissoula.org on Facebook Share I agree with the commenters who are voicing support for this rezone to be approved, prioritizing adding dense housing via vertical building, minimal parking spaces, mixed-used with ground-level commercial space, and access to trails (as the developer has indicated). Zoning for new, dense buildings via infill projects like this is how we simultaneously combat the housing and climate crises. I firmly believe this project should be given a large density bonus of greater than 43 units/acre, and/or removal of mandatory minimum parking requirements in exchange for a portion of units set aside as dedicated affordable housing. These allowances would maximize the benefit the redevelopment of this lot can provide to our community and the climate alike. I also believe that this project should capitalize on the verticality it will be allotted if the rezone is approved, and build to the building height maximum of 125 feet in order to maximize the residential use of the valuable land it sits on (seriously, this location rocks), while moving us closer to our housing and climate goals. - Mason Dow, Climate Smart Missoula mason@climatesmartmissoula.org on Twitter Share I agree with the commenters who are voicing support for this rezone to be approved, prioritizing adding dense housing via vertical building, minimal parking spaces, mixed-used with ground-level commercial space, and access to trails (as the developer has indicated). Zoning for new, dense buildings via infill projects like this is how we simultaneously combat the housing and climate crises. I firmly believe this project should be given a large density bonus of greater than 43 units/acre, and/or removal of mandatory minimum parking requirements in exchange for a portion of units set aside as dedicated affordable housing. These allowances would maximize the benefit the redevelopment of this lot can provide to our community and the climate alike. I also believe that this project should capitalize on the verticality it will be allotted if the rezone is approved, and build to the building height maximum of 125 feet in order to maximize the residential use of the valuable land it sits on (seriously, this location rocks), while moving us closer to our housing and climate goals. - Mason Dow, Climate Smart Missoula mason@climatesmartmissoula.org on Linkedin Email I agree with the commenters who are voicing support for this rezone to be approved, prioritizing adding dense housing via vertical building, minimal parking spaces, mixed-used with ground-level commercial space, and access to trails (as the developer has indicated). Zoning for new, dense buildings via infill projects like this is how we simultaneously combat the housing and climate crises. I firmly believe this project should be given a large density bonus of greater than 43 units/acre, and/or removal of mandatory minimum parking requirements in exchange for a portion of units set aside as dedicated affordable housing. These allowances would maximize the benefit the redevelopment of this lot can provide to our community and the climate alike. I also believe that this project should capitalize on the verticality it will be allotted if the rezone is approved, and build to the building height maximum of 125 feet in order to maximize the residential use of the valuable land it sits on (seriously, this location rocks), while moving us closer to our housing and climate goals. - Mason Dow, Climate Smart Missoula mason@climatesmartmissoula.org link

    I agree with the commenters who are voicing support for this rezone to be approved, prioritizing adding dense housing via vertical building, minimal parking spaces, mixed-used with ground-level commercial space, and access to trails (as the developer has indicated). Zoning for new, dense buildings via infill projects like this is how we simultaneously combat the housing and climate crises. I firmly believe this project should be given a large density bonus of greater than 43 units/acre, and/or removal of mandatory minimum parking requirements in exchange for a portion of units set aside as dedicated affordable housing. These allowances would maximize the benefit the redevelopment of this lot can provide to our community and the climate alike. I also believe that this project should capitalize on the verticality it will be allotted if the rezone is approved, and build to the building height maximum of 125 feet in order to maximize the residential use of the valuable land it sits on (seriously, this location rocks), while moving us closer to our housing and climate goals. - Mason Dow, Climate Smart Missoula mason@climatesmartmissoula.org

    Mason asked over 2 years ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for submitting comment. I will ensure your comment is sent to Planning Board, City Council, and the development team. 

    Best,

    Cassie Tripard, Associate Planner

  • Share Future property should 100% be commercial on street level and residential above (multiple stories), as well as having parking in the basement level. All future large scale buildings should have to have some level of underground parking. This is a modern approach beginning to take hold in larger cities making them more pedestrian friendly, while still having vehicles nearby. on Facebook Share Future property should 100% be commercial on street level and residential above (multiple stories), as well as having parking in the basement level. All future large scale buildings should have to have some level of underground parking. This is a modern approach beginning to take hold in larger cities making them more pedestrian friendly, while still having vehicles nearby. on Twitter Share Future property should 100% be commercial on street level and residential above (multiple stories), as well as having parking in the basement level. All future large scale buildings should have to have some level of underground parking. This is a modern approach beginning to take hold in larger cities making them more pedestrian friendly, while still having vehicles nearby. on Linkedin Email Future property should 100% be commercial on street level and residential above (multiple stories), as well as having parking in the basement level. All future large scale buildings should have to have some level of underground parking. This is a modern approach beginning to take hold in larger cities making them more pedestrian friendly, while still having vehicles nearby. link

    Future property should 100% be commercial on street level and residential above (multiple stories), as well as having parking in the basement level. All future large scale buildings should have to have some level of underground parking. This is a modern approach beginning to take hold in larger cities making them more pedestrian friendly, while still having vehicles nearby.

    Bedstuy asked over 2 years ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for submitting comment. I will ensure your comment is sent to Planning Board, City Council, and the development team. 

    Best,

    Cassie Tripard, Associate Planner

  • Share Building height in the downtown corridor has been a topic of discussion for quite some time and is also addressed in the current version of the downtown master plan. The overall consensus is that we need to start building vertical due to space constraints and to avoid urban sprawl. When is this going to start happening? It seems like many new buildings downtown are following the same height requirements/restrictions that have always been in place. I know this parcel could be rezoned to 125 feet, but at what point are there incentives for a developer to actually build to that capacity? on Facebook Share Building height in the downtown corridor has been a topic of discussion for quite some time and is also addressed in the current version of the downtown master plan. The overall consensus is that we need to start building vertical due to space constraints and to avoid urban sprawl. When is this going to start happening? It seems like many new buildings downtown are following the same height requirements/restrictions that have always been in place. I know this parcel could be rezoned to 125 feet, but at what point are there incentives for a developer to actually build to that capacity? on Twitter Share Building height in the downtown corridor has been a topic of discussion for quite some time and is also addressed in the current version of the downtown master plan. The overall consensus is that we need to start building vertical due to space constraints and to avoid urban sprawl. When is this going to start happening? It seems like many new buildings downtown are following the same height requirements/restrictions that have always been in place. I know this parcel could be rezoned to 125 feet, but at what point are there incentives for a developer to actually build to that capacity? on Linkedin Email Building height in the downtown corridor has been a topic of discussion for quite some time and is also addressed in the current version of the downtown master plan. The overall consensus is that we need to start building vertical due to space constraints and to avoid urban sprawl. When is this going to start happening? It seems like many new buildings downtown are following the same height requirements/restrictions that have always been in place. I know this parcel could be rezoned to 125 feet, but at what point are there incentives for a developer to actually build to that capacity? link

    Building height in the downtown corridor has been a topic of discussion for quite some time and is also addressed in the current version of the downtown master plan. The overall consensus is that we need to start building vertical due to space constraints and to avoid urban sprawl. When is this going to start happening? It seems like many new buildings downtown are following the same height requirements/restrictions that have always been in place. I know this parcel could be rezoned to 125 feet, but at what point are there incentives for a developer to actually build to that capacity?

    Edelphy asked over 2 years ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for submitting comment. I will ensure your comment is sent to Planning Board, City Council, and the development team. We currently do not incentivize height, but your suggestion may be considered by City Council. 

    Best,

    Cassie Tripard, Associate Planner

  • Share It is critical to make this area a priority for walking and biking. Trails should border this property on 3 sides (all but the south side where there is an existing street). Use as much permeable paving, such as clay brick, as possible. The height should be a maximum of 4 stories, mainly to be human scale. While density is important, so is not being overly dense with high rises that block sun and air. Little car parking is needed here, as their are thousands of parking spaces withing a 1/4 mile. Protected bike lanes are important, as are benches, bike parking, safe and connected walkways, bike share if possible, short street crossings, modern single lane roundabouts and great bus/transit service. Thank you, Bob Giordano, Director, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, mist@strans.org on Facebook Share It is critical to make this area a priority for walking and biking. Trails should border this property on 3 sides (all but the south side where there is an existing street). Use as much permeable paving, such as clay brick, as possible. The height should be a maximum of 4 stories, mainly to be human scale. While density is important, so is not being overly dense with high rises that block sun and air. Little car parking is needed here, as their are thousands of parking spaces withing a 1/4 mile. Protected bike lanes are important, as are benches, bike parking, safe and connected walkways, bike share if possible, short street crossings, modern single lane roundabouts and great bus/transit service. Thank you, Bob Giordano, Director, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, mist@strans.org on Twitter Share It is critical to make this area a priority for walking and biking. Trails should border this property on 3 sides (all but the south side where there is an existing street). Use as much permeable paving, such as clay brick, as possible. The height should be a maximum of 4 stories, mainly to be human scale. While density is important, so is not being overly dense with high rises that block sun and air. Little car parking is needed here, as their are thousands of parking spaces withing a 1/4 mile. Protected bike lanes are important, as are benches, bike parking, safe and connected walkways, bike share if possible, short street crossings, modern single lane roundabouts and great bus/transit service. Thank you, Bob Giordano, Director, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, mist@strans.org on Linkedin Email It is critical to make this area a priority for walking and biking. Trails should border this property on 3 sides (all but the south side where there is an existing street). Use as much permeable paving, such as clay brick, as possible. The height should be a maximum of 4 stories, mainly to be human scale. While density is important, so is not being overly dense with high rises that block sun and air. Little car parking is needed here, as their are thousands of parking spaces withing a 1/4 mile. Protected bike lanes are important, as are benches, bike parking, safe and connected walkways, bike share if possible, short street crossings, modern single lane roundabouts and great bus/transit service. Thank you, Bob Giordano, Director, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, mist@strans.org link

    It is critical to make this area a priority for walking and biking. Trails should border this property on 3 sides (all but the south side where there is an existing street). Use as much permeable paving, such as clay brick, as possible. The height should be a maximum of 4 stories, mainly to be human scale. While density is important, so is not being overly dense with high rises that block sun and air. Little car parking is needed here, as their are thousands of parking spaces withing a 1/4 mile. Protected bike lanes are important, as are benches, bike parking, safe and connected walkways, bike share if possible, short street crossings, modern single lane roundabouts and great bus/transit service. Thank you, Bob Giordano, Director, Missoula Institute for Sustainable Transportation, mist@strans.org

    Bob Giordano asked almost 3 years ago

    Hi Bob,

    Thank you for submitting comment. I will ensure your comment is sent to Planning Board, City Council, and the development team. 

    Best,

    Cassie Tripard, Associate Planner