Belgrade City Council held a workshop on April 13th to discuss the city's compliance with the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MALUPA), a state-mandated framework that requires communities with populations exceeding 5,000 to adopt consolidated land use regulations by May 17th, 2026. Consultant Charles Trowell, backed by Senior Planner Brad Stein, led an extensive presentation walking council through the plan's major components: a new land use plan, future land use map, zoning ordinance updates, and revised subdivision regulations.
The presentation emphasized Belgrade's rapid growth—the city has tripled in size since 1990 and is projected to reach just over 22,000 residents by 2045, requiring approximately 4,300 new housing units. The new framework consolidates regulatory authority under a single Planning Commission and streamlines subdivision review through a Planning Administrator role, potentially allowing fully compliant projects to move from pre-application to preliminary plat in 30 to 35 days. Public engagement collecting 913 comments identified transportation and mobility as top concerns, followed by housing availability, downtown vitality, and infrastructure capacity. The land use plan incorporates these themes into six vision categories and introduces two new land use classifications: Community and Downtown. City Manager Neil Cardwell noted Belgrade is ahead of many peer cities in meeting housing strategy requirements, having already implemented six of the 14 state-mandated strategies. The full package is expected before Planning Commission on April 27th and City Council on May 4th for adoption.
During public comment, representatives from Firm 5 architecture and local business owners raised concerns about communication regarding an MDT roundabout project on Main Street, noting limited awareness despite two years of ongoing discussions. Cardwell acknowledged earlier communication efforts were ineffective and directed attendees to two upcoming engagement opportunities this month.