The South Billings Master Plan is a document that will be the guiding document for the South Bilings Boulevard Urban Renewal District.  Over the course of the past year, a consultant team led by AECOM has guided the master planning effort. The team worked with the South Billings Urban Renewal Association (SBURA), the Southwest Corridor Neighborhood Task Force, the City of Billings Public Works Department, the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, and the City Planning Division. The process included community and stakeholder meetings, four larger public meetings where every property owner was invited, community partner input, as well as city staff facilitation and input. Social media in the form of a Facebook page as well as a dedicated website were both used to reach out to as many people as possible.

The Planning Board conducted a public hearing on December 13th, 2012, and is forwarding a recommendation to the City Council to adopt the South Billings Master Plan. The Council heard a presentation on the South Billings Master Plan at its February 6, 2012, Work Session. At the February 13th meeting, the council considered a Resolution of Intent to Adopt the South Billings Master Plan and set the date for the public hearing to receive comments on the Master Plan. The public hearing is scheduled for this Council meeting. The City Council was provided a digital copy of the South Billings Master Plan at the February 6th Work Session. Hard copies of the Plan are also on file in the City Clerk’s Office and the Planning Division Office. The plan is also available at www.SouthBillings.com as well as the City of Billings Planning Division website. Hard copies are also available upon request.

The City Council can choose to:
• Adopt the plan
• Modify the plan before adoption
• Delay action to the next meeting
• Not adopt the plan

This master plan is a guiding document that is an amendment to the 2008 Growth Policy. As such, there is no immediate financial impact as a result of the adoption of this plan. The plan does contain priorities in how the tax increment dollars generated in the SBBURD could be used. Any expenditure of TIF dollars in the future would come back to the Council for approval at that time.

The City Council in 2008 created the South Billings Boulevard Urban Renewal District (SBBURD) to address infrastructure deficiencies in this area and to facilitate the development of the Miller Crossing subdivision located on King Avenue East, near South Billings Boulevard.  SBURA was incorporated as a nonprofit member organization in 2009 to represent the property owners in the district and also be the recommending body to the City Council for the expenditure of TIF funds. The SBURA, City Planning Division, and members of the community, recognized the need for a more in depth planning effort to complement the SBBURD Plan that created the district. This comprehensive master plan has been developed to provide an in depth look at the district and set the community vision and goals as well as priorities for the expenditure of TIF dollars.

The drafting process for the South Billings Master Plan included community and stakeholder meetings, four public meetings where every property owner was invited, community partner input, as well as city staff facilitation and input. Social media in the form of a Facebook page as well as a dedicated website were both used to reach out to as many people as possible. The Plan also has been presented at multiple public meetings of the Yellowstone County Board of Planning, City Council, and Board of County Commissioners.

This document is consistent with and will be amended through the 2008 Yellowstone County and City of Billings Growth Policy.