Last-minute changes to growth policy

Sound planning is the key to attracting future economic growth to the Flathead and to protecting the quality of life and the investments of current and future businesses and residents. Responsible changes to the 2007 Flathead Growth Policy must be considered for the role they can play in strengthening our economic future and in protecting the investment many have already made who call the Flathead their home.

The recent proposed changes to the Flathead County Growth Policy undermine our economic future by arbitrarily removing or rewording significant policies and text in the growth policy and by calling for individual property rights to have “control” over all other elements of the growth policy.

These last-minute changes were made in the last two months of a two-year review process, with little time for public input. Additionally, the county planning board decided not to provide the public a copy of these changes clearly shown, thus requiring the public to spend hours even finding what changes are being proposed. It makes a mockery of the public comment process. This process and these changes do not respect the broad public process and consensus achieved in the 2007 Growth Policy.

The Flathead County Commissioners should reject the most recent major changes proposed for the Growth Policy and return to the planning board recommendations, which were the subject of a planning board hearing on Feb. 15.

The Feb. 15 draft was limited to basic updates to demographic and economic data that provide a factual foundation for future planning decisions and did not include significant goal and policy changes or a provision for property rights to trump all other elements of the growth policy.

A few of the changes proposed to the 2007 Flathead Growth Policy include:

• Removing or weakening multiple transportation policies in the 2007 Growth Policy has not been justified. Proposed changes include removing policies that call for frontage roads and internal road networks and for removing standards to limit the proliferation of stoplights along our major roads.

These changes open wide the door to more highway strip development. Removing these policies may make it cheaper for some individuals to develop in the short term, but everyone loses in the long run when basic policies that improve road safety and reduce traffic congestion are removed.

• Changes to the current water quality protection policies. Policies calling for higher levels of septic treatment or reduced development in areas particularly susceptible to potential water quality contamination are targeted for removal or changed wording.

While the state enforces some rules to protect water quality, state agencies cannot protect us from ourselves when we allow growth to be directed to areas with water quality concerns. Retaining or strengthening existing policies designed to require high standards for treatment of waste water and to limit development in areas prone to risks to water quality (like shallow groundwater) will prove a commitment to our assets, our residents and our future.

Lynn Stanley is the board chairperson of Citizens for a Better Flathead.