The Whitefish City-County Growth Policy will take another step toward completion on September 6 when the Planning Board conducts its formal public hearing. The Growth Policy represents the Whitefish area’s first comprehensive planning effort since the 1996 Master Plan.

In four separate sessions through June and July, the Planning Board conducted workshops to critically review, and in some cases, modify the draft plan produced by the 12-member Growth Policy Steering Committee and city staff from January, 2006 to April of this year.

“From strictly a policy standpoint, the Board changed very little from the Committee draft. More documentation on past water quality studies was added to the Natural Resources Element, and they put more discussion on the base economy and local agriculture into Economic Development,” said Interim Planning & Building Director, Wendy Compton-Ring.

One key recommendation, that no additional land be redesignated for urban or suburban development until 50% of the entitlement (already approved for development) and potentially developable infill units are built, was not changed by the Board during workshop sessions. However, the Board can still change anything in the draft Growth Policy at the public hearing. Most changes made by the Board were on the recommended Future Land Use Map:

·       Land at the SW and NW corners of Dillon Road and Hwy 40 were designated “Business Service Center”

·       Parcels on the north side of East Edgewood were changed from “Suburban” to “Rural Residential” due to environmental constraints

·       Much of the south part of the Karrow Ave. corridor was changed from “Suburban” to “Rural Residential”

The revised elements will be available for public review on the Growth Policy web site, www.planitwhitefish.com, beginning Thursday or Friday. The City’s GIS/computer mapping contractor is busy providing mapping for the Incident Command Post on the Skyland fire near East Glacier, but the revised Future Land Use Map will go on-line as soon as possible. The City will place hard copies of the newest draft document at City Hall, the Planning & Building Department, the Library, and other locations around the community. Black & white copies of the Growth Policy or parts of it can be obtained at the Planning & Building Dept. at no charge.  

The City has emphasized that comments are still welcomed. They may be in writing, via e-mail, phoned to the Planning & Building Department, or (preferred) made directly through the web site. The contact information is:

·        Phone: 863-2410

·        E-mail: contact@planitwhitefish.com

The public hearing by the Planning Board is required by Montana law. Should the Board not reach a decision on the Growth Policy at the September 6 hearing, consideration of the document will be continued to the Board’s regular meeting of September 20. Following the Planning Board’s recommendation, the Growth Policy goes to the Whitefish City Council for final action.