After receiving some initial skepticism from the House Local Government Committee earlier in the session, Committee members united this week to pass reforms which would begin the process of ending strict California-style zoning in the Last Best Place.
"The 2023 Legislative session has given rise to a number of housing reforms, many of which focus on getting government barriers out of the way of Montanans' wanting to build affordable starter homes."
"The California-style zoning of Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls make it easier to build a McMansion in the valley than build a duplex or triplex in the city center."
"While many factors are contributing to the housing crisis, one significant factor is one-size-fits-all government mandates which prohibit starter homes or makes them more expensive than they otherwise would be."
"The Montana Zoning Atlas 2.0 report supports a growing bipartisan movement in Montana to address strict local zoning regulations with pro-housing reforms:"
On June 6, 2023, Education Week published an article titled, “Charter Schools are Outperforming Traditional Public Schools: 6 Takeaways from a New Study.” Reporter Libby Stanford writes, A new study shows that charter school students are now outpacing their peers in traditional public schools in math and reading achievement, cementing a long-term trend of positive...