Staff recommends that the Council receive an update on the progress of the West End Neighborhood Plan. This presentation will provide an overview of the past year’s activities, including public outreach efforts, the development of the neighborhood vision, and potential future land use plan.

This update provides general information on the progress of the West End Neighborhood Plan. Launched in January 2024, the plan aims to update the 2001 plan and identify current and future needs for people living, working, and recreating in the west Billings area. The plan will evaluate and update existing goals, policies, and implementation strategies. The outcome of this plan will be a clear action plan that outlines priorities and develops an overall land use plan based on public input, City and County policies, and State regulations, as applicable.

The key goals of this project include:

• Create a vision for the continued development of West Billings by coupling a vision for land use with the transportation system. 
• Articulate the community’s shared perspective on future use of this area.
• Update existing conditions and trends within the West Billings Area.
• Identify areas for additional housing and commercial development.
• Plan infrastructure improvements to coordinate with growth and new development.
• Inform Implementation of MT Land Use Planning Act Requirements.

This project includes significant community engagement and outreach. These efforts have included public surveys, engagement at public events, stakeholder collaboration, two public open houses, and meetings with the West End Neighborhood Task Force. The consultant team from Sanbell (formerly Sanderson Stewart) will be available to enhance the information on public outreach, discuss work to date, and provide information on the next steps of the plan effort and public engagement.

This is a presentation on the progress of the update to the West End Neighborhood Plan. The Council is expected to ask questions and provide input to staff and the consultant team on the progress of the planning work to date.

This project was funded by a Community Development Block Grant applied for by Yellowstone County, PL funding from the Billings Metropolitan Planning Organization (for the West End Multimodal Plan update), and additional support from the City of Billings for land use planning work of the Planning Division.

The West End Neighborhood Plan is progressing steadily, with significant strides made in community engagement, community vision and goals, and future land use development. We remain committed to aligning these efforts with residents’ needs and citywide objectives. We welcome any feedback from the Council as we continue to move forward with this project. This project is also coordinating with the Heights Neighborhood Plan and will be utilized during the City-wide effort to complete a Land Use Plan and Future Land Use Map in 2025.