No Zoning Lets Entrepreneurs Thrive in East Missoula but for How Long?

MISSOULA - For Lee Bridges, a 35-year homeowner in East Missoula, and board member on the East Missoula Community Council, a big part of the path toward economic sustainability is for her community to come up with its own zoning designations.

She'd rather see that happen through the county than find her town "cookie-cutter" zoned by the City of Missoula once East Missoula is likely annexed due to growth over the next decade.

She says the cultural values and urban zoning codes of Missoula aren't always a match for how residents of the outlying communities see their future.

"We want to keep our...