Columbia Falls Growth Policy Update
The City of Columbia Falls is officially moving forward with its Growth Policy update to comply with the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Titled “Columbia Falls Ahead 2045,” this is your chance to be involved in how Columbia Falls will grow over the next 20 years.
City staff laid out the process that will occur over the next several months recently during a presentation to the Columbia Falls City Council on September 15, 2025. The Montana Land Use Planning Act was passed by the Montana Legislature in 2023 and aims to modernize the state’s planning statutes by front-loading public participation, requiring cities to determine housing needs to meet population growth over the next 20 years, and develop a future land use map and make changes to zoning that will allow those required homes to be built by-right, without additional public hearings for proposals that are fully compliant with zoning.
Here are some key things to know from the presentation provided by city staff:
A new plan is in the works: “Columbia Falls Ahead 2045" is a new name for the city's updated growth policy, now called a land use plan. This 20-year outlook for the city is being developed to align with the Montana Land Use Planning Act, adopted in 2023 [06:53].
Public participation is a major component: The plan requires significant public engagement, which will be led by a land use planning consultant. The city will be using its official website to post all documents for public review and comment [16:10]. The consultant will also lead online surveys, interviews, and public workshops [16:28].
Targeting future housing needs: The land use plan will use the city's housing study, which projects a need for 445 to 650 new homes over 10 years (doubled to 890 to 1,330 homes over 20 years). The plan will adjust zoning and subdivision regulations to meet these targets [21:09].
Infrastructure assessments are ongoing: The city is conducting preliminary engineering reviews for its water and wastewater systems to identify critical areas and propose projects to support future growth [18:01]. There will be public meetings in the November/December timeframe to discuss existing utility infrastructure and again in February to present recommendations [22:45].
Timeline for approval: The tentative schedule aims for approval of the new land use plan by the end of May 2026, which is required by the state. The planning commission and city council will be working in tandem, and joint sessions may be held to develop recommendations [22:13]. You can view the entire timeline below.
