Growth Policy repeal effort moves forward
You’ve probably heard the news: The question of whether to repeal the Park County Growth Policy will be on the ballot in June.
We work in this community every day, and we know that the majority of people here in Park County support proactive planning for our future. They value open space, abundant wildlife, clean water and air, the quiet, and the night sky. Together, we created a vision for Park County that is laid out in the Growth Policy, and we’re proud of it. You can view the growth policy here!
The number of people who signed the petition are just a small percentage of people in Park County, and we’ll prove that in June.
The stakes are high. The Growth Policy is really important. Without a growth policy, we can’t do anything about the increasing threats of development. We can’t do anything about subdivisions, billboards, gravel pits, concert venues, or any other developments. We have no local control, no local voice in decisions affecting our community.
This effort is happening at a critical time in Park County. We’re seeing more luxury resorts, skyrocketing housing prices, more intrusions on our night sky and more development that will permanently scar this landscape.
We really don’t have time to debate among ourselves whether to do anything at all.
The repeal of the Growth Policy will impact us all. I don’t think the proponents of this fully understand the implications of what they’re doing. We’ll lose eligibility for certain funding opportunities, such as federal grants and money for conservation easements. It will inevitably lead to disrupted wildlife migration corridors, more pollution, reckless building and worse roads.
We have a lot of work to do between now and June to make sure that people understand the value of our growth policy.
We know our members care deeply about this place, and we will fight to ensure our voices are heard.
What is a growth policy?
A “Growth Policy” is Montana’s version of a comprehensive plan. Comprehensive plans are widely used in communities, cities, and counties to establish a vision to guide future growth and change. Montana state statute (76-1-601) sets out the contents that must be included in a growth policy and directs the planning board of a jurisdiction to make a recommendation on potential adoption of a growth policy to the appropriate governing body. Per statute, “a growth policy is not a regulatory document and does not confer any authority to regulate that is not otherwise specially authorized by law or regulations adopted pursuant to the law.”
Why is a growth policy important?
Growth policies are documents that help community members prepare for the future. They are intended to provide a comprehensive overview of things like population, housing needs, economic conditions, public facilities, natural resources, and other land uses to help prepare for the future, spend taxpayers’ money wisely, and help a community proactively respond to its needs rather than act after it might be too late.
What’s in the Park County Growth Policy?
The Park County Growth Policy was adopted in 2017 after broad citizen participation. It includes 178 pages of facts, figures, analyses, projections, as well as 17 goals, 42 objectives, and 143 action items. The key issues identified include: Intergovernmental coordination; water availability and quality; infrastructure; housing and; growth and development. Montana statute requires that a community reviews its growth policy “at least once every five years” to see if revisions are needed.
What happens if the Park County Growth Policy goes away?
No comprehensive coordination.
No coordination with other local governments.
No neighborhood plans.
No housing action plan.
No billboard ordinance.
No county-initiated zoning and/or emergency zoning.
County Planning Board to discuss proposed Gravel Pit
On Thursday, the Park County Planning Board will be holding a meeting to discuss the proposed gravel pit near Emigrant.
This is our opportunity to express our concerns about the proposed gravel pit. They want to hear from you about the concerns and what the county may be able to do about it.
Join us on Thursday, September 28, at 5 p.m. in the Community Room of the City-County Complex to share your concerns.
You can also attend via Zoom (click here for the link).
Last year, the county expressed support for the proposal, but since then, the county public works department has taken great strides to be able to recycle gravel they've already used, as well as look into buying gravel from other pits. We applaud these efforts and think that they're on the right track.
Already, we've had more than 720 people sign on to our petition expressing concerns about the gravel pit's impact on wildlife and cultural resources. We are also concerned about how much noise, dust, light pollution and traffic it will generate. If you haven't signed the petition, do so today!