Missoula County strongly opposes SB 379, Revise zoning laws, as amended, up for hearing today at 3 pm in the House Local Government committee.
While intended to increase affordable housing options, this bill will do the opposite while also straining local infrastructure. It replaces objective measurements with subjective requirements, making it harder for property owners and developers to understand what they need to do to complete a project, such as an ADU. For example, it changes setback requirements from an objective measurement – a set number of feet – to a subjective standard based on factors that will vary between individual properties. Right now, if a property owner wants to add an ADU, the answer to a question about the setback is something definitive, such as "5 feet." With this bill, that answer would change to "it depends."
This bill is so poorly written that even a seasoned planner would have trouble deciphering it at times. It would require property owners to bring in detailed site plans and other currently unnecessary documents to get answers on what specific requirements they must follow, adding time and expense to their project.
Representative Thane,
ReplyDeleteMissoula County strongly opposes SB 379, Revise zoning laws, as amended, up for hearing today at 3 pm in the House Local Government committee.
While intended to increase affordable housing options, this bill will do the opposite while also straining local infrastructure. It replaces objective measurements with subjective requirements, making it harder for property owners and developers to understand what they need to do to complete a project, such as an ADU. For example, it changes setback requirements from an objective measurement – a set number of feet – to a subjective standard based on factors that will vary between individual properties. Right now, if a property owner wants to add an ADU, the answer to a question about the setback is something definitive, such as "5 feet." With this bill, that answer would change to "it depends."
This bill is so poorly written that even a seasoned planner would have trouble deciphering it at times. It would require property owners to bring in detailed site plans and other currently unnecessary documents to get answers on what specific requirements they must follow, adding time and expense to their project.
Please oppose SB 379.