By WILLIAM L. SPENCE

Hearing will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 6

The Daily Inter Lake

What could be the last public hearing about Flathead County's draft growth policy takes place Sept. 6 before the county Planning Board.

The intent of the hearing is to give people chances to review and respond to the numerous changes that are being recommended for the document based on previous public comments.

There have been two well-attended hearings on the draft, as well as several open houses and workshops. Almost 500 pages of written testimony were submitted during an initial, 30-day comment period.

The Flathead County Planning Office recently produced a 470-page report that lists all the comments by topic, together with any additions, revisions or deletions that the planning staff thinks could address the public concerns.

The report, which is available online, will be the focus of the Sept. 6 hearing.

The draft growth policy was released June 30. It initially proposed 48 goals and more than 200 policies to help guide future development in a direction that most residents here would find acceptable.

Based on the public response, the planning staff is suggesting that the Planning Board consider adding more than 40 new policies to the document.

Revisions also are being proposed for more than 40 of the original policies, though many of these are just minor rewordings. Three policies are recommended for removal; numerous changes are suggested for the text of the document as well.

Some of the more significant additions, revisions and deletions are:

. The staff is recommending that the Planning Board eliminate a policy that discourages high- and medium-density development in the 500-year floodplain.

"We received a number of comments on that one, primarily from people in Evergreen," said Assistant Planning Director BJ Grieve. "They felt the policy would be a substantial imposition on their property rights, and that it would limit development in areas that had access to public sewer and adequate road infrastructure."

No change is proposed for policies that discourage development in the 100-year floodplain and wetland areas, and that encourage low-density development in areas of shallow groundwater.

However, a policy to allow dense development only in areas that will be served by public sewer systems would be revised to "encourage" dense development in such areas. A related revision would "discourage" rather than restrict small-scale community or public sewer systems in areas that aren't likely to be connected to municipal wastewater treatment facilities.

. The staff wants to revise a policy calling for the creation of an open-space board.

The revision clarifies that the board would "develop a plan that identifies appropriate rural lands and prime agricultural soils to be preserved through density incentives at the time of development."

"There was a big misunderstanding about what the board was for," Grieve said. "People had the impression that we wanted to create a bureaucracy that would randomly take their property, but it's intended to address open-space preservation only at the time of development. If people aren't developing their land, they wouldn't hear from the open-space board."

. A new policy would be added to clarify that "reasonable open space should not be used to limit development, but rather to complement new development and create livable communities where daily interaction with ball fields, trails, and interconnected natural areas improve quality of life for all residents."

. Responding to other concerns, the staff is proposing a new policy that calls for riparian buffers to be designated along major streams and rivers as properties are developed, to "enhance recreational opportunities, protect [water quality] and maintain the natural aesthetics of waterways."

. A policy related to growth along roadways would be revised and expanded to "create incentives for developments that consider the scenic setting, incorporate design and construction standards that harmonize and complement local views … [and] provide incentives for excellent architectural design."

. A policy that encourages commercial land uses on secondary arterials, rather than major arterials or highways, would be modified. The new policy would "maintain mobility by encouraging commercial and business land uses to locate off highways and arterials, unless mitigated by frontage roads and controlled accesses."

. A new policy would be added to promote "dark sky" lighting standards that don't "destroy the reasonable enjoyment of the night sky."

. Many letters, particularly from residents in the Somers/Juniper Bay area, expressed concerns about the absence of a land-use map.

In response, the planning staff is recommending that the land-use map in the 1987 master plan be retained until it can be replaced. The map designates what type of development and densities are appropriate for various parts of the valley.

. Trying to find a middle ground between having an easily modified growth policy and having one that's impossible to change, the staff is proposing that citizen-initiated amendments to the growth policy be accompanied by a petition signed by 5 percent of county voters.

The intent, Grieve said, is to ensure that the amendment has at least some support among county residents before the planning office starts processing it.

The Sept. 6 hearing is scheduled at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building.

However, the room can hold only about 85 people. The planning staff intends to set up chairs and a speaker in the hallway to handle any overflow attendance; Grieve said they also have a "backup plan" to move to another location to accommodate a larger crowd.

After the hearing, the Planning Board will hold at least three work sessions to discuss the growth policy and decide what changes should be made. It then will forward a recommendation to the county commissioners.

The commissioners could hold their own hearing on the growth policy, though they haven't expressed interest in doing so.

When they approve a resolution of intent, it will kick off a second 30-day written comment period, after which the growth policy could be adopted. County residents also can petition for a vote on the document.

Copies of the public comments and the planning staff's recommended changes can be downloaded from the Planning Office Web site: www.co.flathead.mt.us/fcpz/growthpolicy.html