The Missoula City Council continued its effort to remove red tape around housing and development through code changes and zoning updates on Monday.
The council’s changes to city code, which regulates building and other public utilities in Missoula, included increasing the size of accessory dwelling units, while also making alterations required by the state Legislature.
Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are secondary homes on a single lot. The 2023 state Legislature passed a law requiring cities to allow ADUs across all zoning categories.
The short-term changes come as the city is nearing the end of a multi-year process to update its code plan citywide. The process has been based on Missoula’s 2015 Growth Plan.
Council voted to increase the maximum size allowed for ADUs from 1,000 square feet to 1,200 square feet, a proposal brough by Ward 3 Councilor Daniel Carlino.
The city has touted ADUs as a way to better densify developed neighborhoods and free up space for affordable housing, and increasing the maximum size allowed should make them easier to approve.
The ADU codes represent one of the hundreds of minute changes made during the council meeting Monday, although some votes extended temporary code.
Some of the most impactful changes include lessening parking requirements for developers, easing the process on mixed-use development and vertical buildings, and simplifying mobile home rules.
Much of the code passed so far could still be adjusted through the longer-term code update process, which should be in completed by 2025.