Investcore, Inc. is back before the Bismarck Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday, Oct. 28, with a narrower version of its plan to rezone 2.96 undeveloped acres at South Washington Street and Meridian Drive in southwest Bismarck for up to 44 accessible units, which the developer says would be single-level rentals. City planning staff recommend approval of the request, which now carries a Plan Overlay District capping what can be built there.
The Details
- What: Zoning map amendment ZC2026-012, from RS-Residential Suburban to RM-Residential Multi-Family with a Plan Overlay District, on Lots 1-10, Block 1, South Meadows Addition Third Replat, per the staff report.
- Limits in the overlay: No more than 11 buildings with no more than four units each, a maximum of 15 units per acre, a 40-foot height cap to match the neighboring suburban zoning, and universal design to accommodate occupants and visitors "with all levels of mobility," per the draft overlay text.
- Parking: The overlay exhibit shows 37 off-street spaces and room for eight on-street spaces.
- When: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the Tom Baker Meeting Room of the City-County Office Building.
- Staff recommendation: Approve.
The Backstory
The commission first heard the request Sept. 23. According to the staff report, 23 people commented at that hearing, for and against. Residents who opposed it, including adjacent property owners, cited property values, parking, traffic, neighborhood character, privacy and safety, and some said the developer had changed plans in the past. The project team told commissioners the single-bedroom units would be rented at market rate and designed for elderly residents and people with disabilities, would accept Housing Authority vouchers without being limited to them, and that a purchase agreement on the land depends on the rezoning. The applicant said it was willing to add an overlay to limit the project's use and design, and the commission voted unanimously to continue the hearing so staff could draft one.
A site history table in the packet shows the land was zoned RM15 in 2014 and changed to two-family residential in 2017. In August 2025, a request to rezone it to RM20 for multi-family housing was denied after the commission did not agree it was compatible with nearby land uses.
What It Means for Bismarck
Staff call the site "one of the last remaining undeveloped pieces" of the South Meadows residential area. They say the project would offer a housing type "beyond large apartments or lower density residential uses." Under the overlay, any plan that does not generally conform to the approved exhibit would need a formal amendment.
Before You Go
- Written comments go to planning@bismarcknd.gov by 8 a.m. on the day of the meeting, according to the agenda.
- The draft rezoning ordinance in the packet would ultimately need adoption by the Bismarck City Commission.
- Also on the Oct. 28 agenda: special use permit SUP2026-007 for two drive-throughs, one for a coffee shop and one for a call-ahead bakery, in a planned five-unit commercial building at 1445 Skyline Way.
Sources
- Planning & Zoning Commission agenda, Oct. 28, 2026 — agenda items and comment instructions
- Planning & Zoning Commission agenda packet, Oct. 28, 2026 — staff report, draft overlay, site history and Sept. 23 draft minutes
