HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrowth Policy Update memo 3-01-2017
TO: PLANNING BOARD
FROM: CHRIS SAUNDERS
RE: GROWTH POLICY UPDATE
DATE: MARCH 1, 2017
At Planning Board meetings on February 7 and 21st, we discussed beginning the work to prepare for
the update of the growth policy. Various ideas were considered. I agreed to provide some key
questions for consideration by Board members as they review the existing growth policy, review
existing neighborhood plans, and that can shape the future update.
The growth policy and neighborhood plans are on the City’s website at
http://www.bozeman.net/Departments‐(1)/Community‐Develop/Plans‐and‐Planning.
Existing growth policy review
Bozeman has had a formal community plan since 1958. A review of those plans indicates that
Bozeman seeks to be and has been a resilient community. Resiliency is the ability of a community to
rebound, positively adapt to, or thrive amidst changing conditions or challenges – including
disasters and changes in the economy and climate – and maintain quality of life, healthy growth,
durable systems and conservation of resources for present and future generations.
Questions:
1) Identify three things in the growth policy that you find supportive of resiliency.
2) What barriers do you see in the growth policy to being a resilient community?
3) What things do you see as missing in the growth policy?
4) What things do you see in the growth policy as having been completed and do not need to carry
forward.
Neighborhood Plan Review
Neighborhood plans are authorized as a subsidiary document to the growth policy for the
community as a whole. There are six neighborhood plans. Each plan looks at a subsection of the
community in greater detail than is feasible at the overall growth policy level. All the plans have a
neighborhood association, tax increment district board or other interested party who participated
in the plan development. No final action will be taken on neighborhood plans without consulting
with those persons.
Questions:
1) Does the neighborhood plan still accurately describe the neighborhood for which it was prepared?
2) Have any action steps been completed or are still outstanding?
3) Should the plan be updated or removed?
Future growth policy
Attached to this memo is the section of state law that outlines the contents of a growth policy, 76‐1‐
601. As you can see, it is a long list. A community has considerable discretion in determining how
in‐depth to examine each item. If you compare the list to the table of contents in the existing growth
policy, you should see a correspondence between the two. The state does not mandate the format of
the growth policy so it can be in many configurations.
The City uses the individual facility plans to prepare much of the technical analysis for services such
as water and sewer. We don’t repeat that in the growth policy. Some elements are included with the
annual capital improvement plans. Please note there are some procedural requirements for
subdivision review as well.
Neighborhood plans are discussed under paragraph (4)(a) and (4)(b).
Questions:
1) What are the three most critical issues you see as facing Bozeman, and how can the growth policy
address those issues?
2) Based on your personal experience and in conversation with others offer three ways to engage the
public in the update process.