My Page: Travis Koch
Zoning Rewrite
Zoning Committee Looks At Regulating Electronic Signs in Missoula
Missoula might be less dynamic in the future.
The Plat, Amendments and Zoning (PAZ) committee considered yesterday whether to allow “dynamic displays” -- electronic signs with animation or scrolling messages -- within city limits.
The deliberation was part of the process that will likely result in a new zoning ordinance for Missoula. The existing zoning law does not regulate electronic signs.
Representatives of local businesses that use electronic signs addressed the council members, arguing that the signs pose no safety hazards, are not visually annoying and would be self-regulated by business owners whose livelihoods depend on displaying messages that are readable and attractive.
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When The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Lands announced in June of 2008 their commitment to purchase 500 square miles of Plum Creek Timber Company lands in the state of Montana for more than $500 million, they knew that many challenges awaited them.
What they didn’t anticipate was a severe global recession.
Now, in the midst of an economic downturn that has been particularly unkind to the real estate and financial markets, The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Lands are struggling to find the money to complete the massive deal, known as the Montana Legacy Project. The federal government has ponied up its share - $250 million – and about two-thirds of the acreage has already been purchased from Plum Creek. But The Nature Conservancy and the Trust for Public Lands need to find buyers for the portion of the lands that they bought on credit – and still need to raise the money to fund the final phase of the project.
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Flathead, Gallatin Hit Hard
Sharp Divide Among Montana Housing Markets
The higher you fly, the farther you fall.
That’s certainly the lesson of a quick survey of the most recent data from the largest housing markets in Montana.
Yellowstone County (Billings), Cascade County (Great Falls) and Missoula County have all weathered the housing bust relatively well. Transaction volume is way down, but median prices have mostly held steady in these three markets, at least for now, and even increased by 10 percent in Cascade.
The situation in more expensive and resort-heavy Flathead and Gallatin Counties, which saw the biggest price increases during the boom, is much different. Median sales prices have dropped by 19 percent in Gallatin County and 22 percent in Flathead County, and anecdotal evidence suggests the carnage at the high end of the market is even worse than those numbers indicate.
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The Great Recession
Missoula Real Estate: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
If you look at the most basic measure of the health of the local real estate market, you might conclude that Missoula doesn't have much to worry about. The median home price in Missoula County -- $217,000 as of June 30 -- has fallen less than 1 percent since its peak in 2006, according to the Missoula Organization of Realtors. By comparison, the National Association of Realtors reports that the median home price in the U.S. has dropped 21 percent during the same period, from $219,000 in 2006 to $173,000 in May of this year.
But when you dig a little deeper, you find plenty of indicators that all is not well in the local real estate market -- especially when it comes to new development.
New construction has hit a 20-year low, foreclosures are on the rise, and the list of active real estate listings is growing long enough that prices may continue to creep downward. Some two-dozen conversations with local builders and realtors, moreover, reveal no small amount of nervousness about the state of the market.
“So far we’ve fared fairly well,” said Bryan Flaherty, president of the Missoula Organization of Realtors (MOR).
The lower end of the market in particular is continuing to see a lot of activity, and some realtors are reporting sales numbers that are comparable to years past. Remodeling activity is also stable, and helping to keep some contractors in work.
But even Flaherty admits to seeing worrisome signs.
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Suit and Tie Up?
Missoula Council Members File Lawsuit Over Zoning Revamp
The effort to replace Missoula’s flawed zoning ordinance with a more clearly written version is being challenged in court, potentially delaying an already two-year-old process.
Three Missoula City Council members July 9 filed an application for a “writ of mandate” against the city in Missoula County District Court. If granted, the legal action would prohibit the council from proceeding with its review of the zoning ordinance rewrite.
The lawsuit was filed by Dick Haines and Renee Mitchell of Ward 5 and Lyn Hellegaard of Ward 4. They are being represented by the Wittich Law Firm in Bozeman.
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The Zoning ReWrite
Missoula City Council Compromises on Zoning Controversy
The divisions within the Missoula City Council were on full display this week as members tried to move past the most contentious issue in the new zoning rewrite, voting 8-4 on Wednesday morning to strike a provision that would have allowed so-called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) - essentially additional living spaces on existing lots - to be built in single-family zoning districts.
“This was the big political thing,” said Bob Jaffe, who chairs the Plat, Amendment and Zoning committee and voted against the motion to prohibit ADUs. Jaffe said that now the committee could focus on the remaining issues, including minimum lot sizes and maximum building heights.
Ward 4 representative Jon Wilkins introduced the motion prohibiting ADUs in all single-family zones, and Stacy Rye of Ward 3 introduced a motion allowing ADU’s to be built “by right” in all districts that are zoned multi-family. Both motions passed.
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