01/19/2026
Whitefish is not undertaking the Growth Policy process in a vacuum. Under the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA), every city with population over 5,000 is going through this process. And almost all other cities are passing much more permissing land use plans and zoning policies.
The NIMBYism in Whitefish is the worst in the state, which means our housing shortage being the most severe. Let's look at what other cities have already done:
Kalispell: Density and Mixed-Use
"Future land use emphasizes:
- Higher-density urban residential areas with diverse housing choices.
- Suburban residential neighborhoods on the fringe that transition rural lands into city fabric.
- Mixed-use centers and corridors that blend housing, retail, and employment."
Great Falls: Mixed-Use, Infill Development
"Brock Cherry, the city’s director of planning and community development, said that promoting mixed-use, infill development within the city has been a priority. This kind of work adds to the property tax base without necessitating the expansion of city services like water, sewer or public safety response areas.
For other parts of town, particularly residential areas, the land-use designations gain a bit more nuance and intentionally avoid pigeonholing them as strictly single-family residential or commercial. There are “rural fringe neighborhoods,” which are expected to have low growth and are on the outskirts of the city’s boundaries.
There are so-called “traditional neighborhoods,” still relatively far from the city’s core but with a greater mix of single-family homes, apartments and some small businesses. This includes much of the Fox Farm area, Riverview neighborhoods and some far southern areas of Great Falls.
The core of Great Falls is designated as an “urban neighborhood” and features the potential for higher-density residential development with different kinds of single-family homes, multi-family housing and commercial services. These neighborhoods surround the downtown area and feature some of the town’s older homes.
“A residential area doesn’t just have to be single-family housing,” said Joe McKenney, a city commissioner who also works in real estate. “It can be single-family housing. It can be duplexes. It can be townhouses. And it can be small retail or even grocery stores.”
Redevelopment in the “traditional” and “urban” neighborhoods has the highest return in terms of tax revenue, given the density and existing city services, according to the draft growth policy. Infill development generates tax revenue without requiring the city to pay for the maintenance of new water and sewer lines, for example.
“Infill is empty lots, empty space or under-utilized space,” McKenney said. “From a city government standpoint and funding city services, that’s at the top of the list. And the reason it’s at the top of the list is because we don’t have to put infrastructure in. It’s already there.”
Lewistown: Density and Mixed Use Zoning
"To accommodate growth and aid in affordability, density and diversity in housing are needed. Most of Lewistown’s housing stock is aging, single-family homes with small clusters of multi-family and mobile homes - pointing to a need for more housing development that meets diverse needs. The vast majority (70%) of housing in Lewistown is single-family homes, which by nature, are less affordable than smaller, multi-family units.
Develop land use patterns that provide for efficient transportation with a reduction in fuel and energy consumption, while still encouraging economic development.
Expand Urban and Suburban residential zones to include mixed-use zoning."
Bozeman: Fourplex Approval in Residential Zones
"The changes in Chapter 38 of the city’s code increase zoning density to provide additional housing opportunities.
Code changes include removing minimum lot sizes and increasing the minimum density in residential districts, allowing quadplexes in residential areas as infill for buildings at least 35 years old, reduced residential parking and simplified non-residential parking regulations.
Other changes include allowing duplexes where single-unit dwellings exist, enabling accessory-dwelling units on single-dwelling lots, permitting single-room occupancy developments, and providing zoning for “tiny home” development."
