New 'Design Excellence Overlay' Aims to Inspire New Development in Missoula

"Efforts to shape the next iteration of Missoula’s built environment took a step forward on Tuesday with the unveiling of new design standards intended to add incentives to better urban architecture and make wiser use of land within the city’s core," reports Martin Kidston.

Missoula's new 'Design Excellence Overlay' would apply in several neighborhoods in the downtown area, including the Brooks, Russell, Broadway and Reserve Street corridors. The design guidelines organizes those corridors into three sections: inner core, outer core and the northern district.

Missoula officials are hoping the new design overlay inspires more design creativity in new developments. Kidston explains how:

Depending on the district, the overlay sets guidelines for a number of features, such as placement of a building on the street, vertical scale, facade and window treatments, and building articulation, or the amount a structure is required to “step back” based upon its height.

The standards also reduce certain barriers to better land use, such as parking and landscaping requirements.