Belgrade Planning Area Zoning

The Belgrade Planning Area is a 4.5 mile "donut" surrounding the City of Belgrade's municipal boundaries. Although the Planning Area was established in 1975, it has not always been planned for in Growth Policies. Taking steps to ensure that development of this area aligns with Belgrade's vision is important for the future of the community.

State law recognizes that good planning doesn’t always follow municipal boundaries and allows the authority of a city-county planning board to extend into areas both inside an incorporated city boundary and in “contiguous unincorporated area outside the city”. As development continues to occur inside the City of Belgrade, the impacts and pressures can extend outside city limits into the adjacent planning area.

Establishing zoning the the Belgrade Planning Area is not a new concept. Multiple attempts have been made historically and more recently this specific project has undergone starts and stops due to the COVID-19 pandemic, staff and budget constraints, and political changes. But now, in alignment with the Clearly Belgrade Master Plan and the recent adoption of the 2024 Belgrade Future Land Use Map Amendment, it is time to explore how this tool can implement a shared vision for the greater Belgrade area.

HOW TO USE: Click and drag the slider below to see how adopted Future Land Use (left side) translate to the proposed Draft Zoning (right side). Use the plus (+) to zoom in and minus (-) to zoom out. Click on the map and drag move across the map. Click on individual parcels to see what the adopted Future Land Use or proposed Draft Zoning is.

How we got here: Future Land Use (FLU) to Zoning

So, what is Future Land Use?

The FLU is a graphical representation of a community's preferred land use pattern over the next 20 or so years. It's based on forecasts for population, housing, and employment, and assumes that land policies will be successful in achieving the desired future. The FLU's land use categories are general and provide guidance for changes to zoning regulations, zoning districts, and boundaries. These categories define allowable land uses, population densities, and building and structure intensities.

The City of Belgrade officially updated its Planning Area Future Land Use on July 15, 2024. This includes a Future Land Use Map (shown below) and a FLU Designations Table that describes the characteristics and typical uses associated with each designation. As a part of this effort, numerous online and in-person engagement opportunities were hosted to gain feedback and community input. To learn more about this effort, you can visit the 2024 Belgrade Future Land Use Map Amendment page.

So, what is zoning?

The next step in this process then is to establish zoning regulations based on the FLU's. Zoning maps and codes are more specific than the FLU and define specific standards that must be met for each zone. While zoning codes define the development standards for each land use designation, the zoning map defines the area where those standards apply. These documents are not set in stone and can change over time; however, the primary purpose of implementing zoning in the Belgrade Planning Area is to ensure the area surrounding Belgrade aligns with community values identified in the FLU.