The Montana Miracle

In this episode of The Stoop, Montana Representative Katie Zolnikov and former Representative Danny Tenenbaum explain how a cross-partisan coalition of mostly younger lawmakers and advocates passed the so-called “Montana miracle” — a suite of statewide pro-housing reforms in 2023 that legalized ADUs, allowed duplexes in single-family zones, expanded mixed-use development, and created the Montana Land Use and Planning Act to require realistic growth planning. They describe how they built agreement across ideologies, pushed back on “local control” and “neighborhood character” arguments, added 2025 parking reform, and are now watching how cities like Missoula and Bozeman implement and build on these changes, offering their experience as a model for housing advocates and legislators in other states.