Comprehensive Plan Decisions in Bismarck

A comprehensive plan amendment (also called a "general plan amendment" or "future land use map amendment") is a change to the municipality's long-range planning document that guides land use, transportation, infrastructure, and growth across the entire jurisdiction. ZoneWire tracks comprehensive plan activity across Bismarck, ND public meetings.

ZoneWire monitors Bismarck, ND planning and council meetings, transcribes them, and flags comprehensive plan activity. As of the latest update we have analyzed 28 meetings and detected 73 comprehensive plan mentions.

Tracking comprehensive plan in Bismarck surfaces zoning and development signals early, so developers, investors, and brokers can evaluate parcels and approvals before they reach the broader market.

Zoning in the City of Bismarck is administered by the Community Development Department's Planning Division. The Planning and Zoning Commission is an 11-member advisory board that makes recommendations on the comprehensive plan, zoning, subdivision, annexation, and other development requests within the city and its extraterritorial area (ETA). The City Commission holds the final decision authority. For a copy of the zoning ordinance or questions, the Planning Division can be reached at 701-355-1840 or planning@bismarcknd.gov.

A zoning map amendment is a legal change to Bismarck's zoning map and can be initiated by a property owner or by the City. The process involves submitting a Unified Development Application with the required fee, staff review against the comprehensive plan and ordinances, a development review meeting, and public notification (legal ads in the Bismarck Tribune plus letters to nearby property owners). The Planning and Zoning Commission holds the first public hearing and makes a recommendation, and the City Commission holds the final public hearing and makes the ultimate decision.

The Bismarck Planning and Zoning Commission typically meets at 5:00 pm on the fourth Wednesday of each month in the Tom Baker Meeting Room at the City County Office Building, 221 N. 5th St., Bismarck, ND. The Commission hears requests for major and minor subdivision plats, zoning changes, zoning ordinance text amendments, annexations, special use permits, and rural lot splits. Applicants should confirm the specific date on the Commission's posted meeting schedule.

Land-use and development decisions in Bismarck are guided by Together 2045, Bismarck's Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted by the City Commission on December 22, 2022, and is amended periodically. The plan sets goals and objectives related to land use and development and functions as the legal basis for the city's zoning and subdivision ordinance and all development decisions.

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