HomeMy WebLinkAboutGrowth policy replacement staff report PBPage 1 of 11
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020.
Public Hearing Dates:
Planning Board Meeting (Public Hearing): December 17, 2019 at 6:00pm in the City
Commission room, City Hall, 121 North Rouse.
Project Description: Adoption of a new growth policy to replace the existing growth policy. A
growth policy documents community values, establishes goals, and translates those to planning for
locations and nature of future land development. The adopted growth policy guides development
of regulations, annexation, infrastructure installation and funding, and budget priorities.
Project Location: The proposed growth policy applies to the entire City and looks outwards to
include property within the future potential municipal water and sewer services area. The boundary
of the planning area is shown in Chapter 3 of the growth policy and Section 1 of this report.
Planning Board Recommended Motion: Having reviewed and considered the draft growth
policy, public comment, and all information presented, I hereby move to adopt the findings
presented in the staff report and recommend approval of the growth policy to the City Commission.
Report Date: December 12, 2019
Staff Contact: Chris Saunders and Tom Rogers
Agenda Item Type: Action- Legislative
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Unresolved Issues
None
Project Summary
The City conducts long range planning to:
1. Protect the public health and safety and advance the well-being of the community at
large, while respecting and protecting the interests of individuals within the community.
2. Provide a supportive framework for private action which balances the rights and
responsibilities of many persons.
3. Facilitate the democratic development of the public policies and regulations that guide
the community.
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 2 of 11
4. Improve the physical environment of the community as a setting for human activities,
more functional, beautiful, healthful, and efficient.
5. Coordinate technical knowledge, political will, and long-range thinking in community
development in both short and long term decisions.
6. Identifies the citizen's goals and priorities for their community and how they wish to
carry out those ideals.
7. Encourage efficiency and effectiveness by government through coordinated policies and
programs.
8. Serves as a reference bench mark for community priorities, physical attributes such as
size, and social and economic information such as housing and jobs. A growth policy is
an abstract of a community.
9. Support economic development by providing basic information about the community to
prospective citizens and employers. A well done, and implemented, plan shows that a
community is actively trying to improve their area.
By state law the formal term for a community’s comprehensive plan is ‘growth policy’. The
development of a growth policy is a primary responsibility of the Planning Board and is
directed by Sections 76-1-601 through 76-1-606, MCA. Bozeman has had a formal
comprehensive plan since 1958. Careful planning by individuals and small groups prior to that
time created the historic areas of the community. Since 1958, Bozeman has had six
comprehensive plans.
The growth policy sets broad policy standards and coordinates between many municipal
functions. It is the land use policy document for the community. A community has broad
latitude in the level of detail they wish to address in their growth policy. Certain subjects are
required to be addressed. The City Commission adopted Resolution 4112 in July 2008.
Resolution 4112 commits the City to undertaking certain coordinated infrastructure planning
with Gallatin County. This is not a jointly adopted growth policy but coordination occurs
within individual growth policies. This coordination manifests in many ways. Most recently
the City and County cooperated in the preparation of the “Triangle Plan” a neighborhood plan
under the County’s growth policy which includes portions of the Bozeman planning area.
Since the adoption of the Bozeman Community Plan in 2009, Bozeman has grown
tremendously. The plan held up well under the strain but needed to be updated to address
changing conditions. The City Commission directed the Planning Board and Staff to prepare
an update in 2016.
The Planning Board conducted many public meetings and outreach events to garner input
from the community. Appendix A of the draft document describes the various outreach
approaches. Various elements of the document were reviewed by the public. A compiled
complete draft document was made available in December 2019. A public hearing is to be
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 3 of 11
held by the Planning Board on December 17, 2019. After consideration of the public
comments and review of the document the Planning Board will make a formal
recommendation to the City Commission.
Substantive changes to the growth policy
The Bozeman Community Plan 2020 (BCP) confirms and carries forward community priorities
established in prior growth policies. The following items are significant changes between the
proposed draft and the existing adopted plan. To see all changes review the documents.
1. Narrower focus. The City has adopted several additional plans for sustainability, affordable housing, and other topics since the last growth policy. The Planning Board deliberately narrowed the focus of the proposed draft to emphasize land use. Therefore, subjects with
their own plans have less discussion and there are fewer chapters in the proposed draft.
2. Slightly expanded planning area. The planning area boundary was expanded in two areas to allow examination of community edges and transition to County areas as well as to coordinate with other facility plans. The two changes are along Huffine Lane and in the northwest corner.
3. Document formatting. The Bozeman Community Plan uses a different document format
and structure. Chapter structure, page layout, and inclusion of web links to access on-line documents referenced in the plan are provided. Chapters are considerably shorter and are primarily focused on the goals and objectives. Background information is contained in the appendices or the independent facility plans.
4. Increased emphasis on mixed use. Some of the land use categories have been renamed and
consolidated.
5. Future Land Use Map. The future land use map, see Chapter 3, has two substantial changes. A. The map does not show only the use of land needed to serve new population expected over the 20 year reach of the growth policy. Instead, the map shows how the City thinks
land throughout the planning area should develop in the future if the landowners choose to
change from its current use. This may take very many years to come to pass. The City continues its encouragement of annexation occurring prior to development of land.
B. The Business Park Mixed Use and Suburban Residential categories were removed from the landuse categories. All of these areas have been changed to another category. Several
categories were aggregated into the Open Space, Public Lands, and Institutions category.
Alternatives
1. Recommend approval of the growth policy;
2. Recommend approval of the growth policy with modifications;
3. Open and continue the public hearing on the application, with specific direction to staff or the
applicant to supply additional information or to address specific items.
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 4 of 11
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................... 1
Unresolved Issues ............................................................................................................... 1
Project Summary ................................................................................................................. 1
Substantive changes to the growth policy ........................................................................... 3
Alternatives ......................................................................................................................... 3
SECTION 1 - MAP SERIES .................................................................................................... 5
SECTION 2 - RECOMMENDATIONS AND FUTURE ACTIONS ...................................... 6
SECTION 3 - STAFF ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS ............................................................. 6
1. Improve the present health, safety, convenience, and welfare of their citizens. ....... 7
2. Plan for the future development of their communities to the end that highway
systems be carefully planned; ............................................................................................. 8
3. That new community centers grow only with adequate highway, utility, health,
educational, and recreational facilities; ............................................................................... 8
4. That the needs of agriculture, industry, and business be recognized in future
growth; ................................................................................................................................ 8
5. That residential areas provide healthy surroundings for family life; ........................ 8
6. The growth of the community be commensurate with and promotive of the efficient
and economical use of public funds. ................................................................................... 9
APPENDIX A - COORDINATION WITH GALLATIN COUNTY AND OTHERS ............ 9
APPENDIX B – NOTICING AND PUBLIC COMMENT ................................................... 10
APPENDIX C - REVIEWING STAFF .................................................................................. 10
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 5 of 11
SECTION 1 - MAP SERIES
Map 1: Proposed Planning Area Boundary, Bozeman Community Plan
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 6 of 11
Map 2: Future Land Use Map, Bozeman Community Plan
SECTION 2 - RECOMMENDATIONS AND FUTURE ACTIONS
Having considered the criteria established for a growth policy map amendment, the Staff finds the
draft document meets the requirements of state law and can be adopted.
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on December 17, 2019 to take public comment and
consider a recommendation to the City Commission for the growth policy adoption. If needed, the
Board may continue their public hearing to provide adequate time for discussion prior to acting.
The City Commission will hold public hearing(s) on the growth policy prior to any action to
approve, amend or reject the document. The dates for City Commission meetings are not scheduled
yet.
SECTION 3 - STAFF ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
Planning staff has reviewed this application for a growth policy against the criteria set forth in
Section 76-1-102 MCA. Staff found that this proposal satisfies all of the required review criteria.
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 7 of 11
Analysis and resulting recommendations are based on the entirety of the application materials,
municipal codes, standards, plans, public comment, and all other materials available during the
review period. Collectively this information is the record of the review. The analysis in this report
is a summary of the completed review.
In considering applications for approval under this title, the advisory boards and City Commission
shall consider the following criteria. As an amendment is a legislative action, the Commission has
broad latitude to determine a policy direction.
Section 76-1-601 MCA specifies the required contents of a growth policy. The same section also
allows for a number of voluntary items. State law allows substantial community discretion in
addressing the required subjects. Attached to this report is a table showing where all required
elements have been addressed.
There are required steps for the process to adopt or revise a growth policy. For this growth
policy, the Planning Board will conduct the required public hearing after proper notice, will
forward a recommendation of adoption by resolution, the City Commission will adopt a
resolution of intent, and the City Commission’s hearing will be given proper notice. After these
steps occur the City Commission may adopt, revise, or reject the growth policy.
There are no specific statutorily required review criteria for adopting a growth policy. However,
76-1-102 MCA establishes the purposes for planning. Lacking other defined statutory criteria,
these purposes are the standard against which adoption of a growth policy is measured by the
City. These items overlap in various ways and working on one will often advance another. The
description below is a summary. The complete intent and compliance with criteria may be
obtained by reviewing the full document.
1. Improve the present health, safety, convenience, and welfare of their citizens.
The BCP meets this criterion by coordinating between multiple facility plans. The facility
plans address transportation, fire protection, parks and recreation, water, and wastewater. All
of these facilities protect health and safety. Safe and functional transportation supports timely
emergency responses. Water systems support suppression of fire and avoidance of
communicable disease. Parks and trails encourage a physically active and healthy
community. Other elements of the plan such as support for and economic development
support the general welfare by encouraging a vigorous community with resources to meet the
social and economic needs of citizens. By establishing common community goals and
aspirations, land use regulations can be drafted and policies enacted to advance those goals.
The BCP addresses the purposes of planning identified in the statutory purposes of planning.
Health, safety, convenience, and welfare are issues woven throughout the document and
the various topic specific plans for various City functions. The requirements for an
infrastructure plan and coordination with Gallatin County are included. Effective
collaboration improves all of the elements in this criterion.
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 8 of 11
2. Plan for the future development of their communities to the end that highway systems
be carefully planned;
The City, County, MDT, and others participate in coordinated transportation planning
through the Transportation Coordinating Committee. A new transportation plan was adopted
in 2017. The transportation plan covers the same planning area as the BCP. The street
character and layout is consistent with the BCP. The BCP establishes goals and policies
which supports development of a fully functional, multi-modal transportation system. The
transportation plan and BCP allow coordination across jurisdictional boundaries so that as
annexation occurs and roads or other transportation means are developed the transportation
system will function efficiently. Theme 4 in Chapter 2 addresses mobility and supports
completion of the adopted transportation plan.
3. That new community centers grow only with adequate highway, utility, health,
educational, and recreational facilities;
The BCP continues established policies for concurrency of infrastructure necessary to
meet the needs of development. These policies have been formalized as development
standards and requirements in the municipal code. The various facility plans referenced in the
BCP describe service levels and facilities required to meet current and future needs. Some of
these items are provided by an entity other than the City of Bozeman. Those items are
addressed also with demonstration of compliance being provided during the land
development review process. The intent of this criterion is brought into physical existence
through the land development standards adopted by the City and other regulatory agencies.
4. That the needs of agriculture, industry, and business be recognized in future growth;
The BCP sets aside a land base for all of these activities. The land use pattern, provision
of timely and adequate infrastructure, and overall community health supported in the plan
support a healthy economy. Policies encourage the development of local production and
businesses in a wide range of areas, including agriculture. Figure 3-1 includes a land base
adequate to meet the expected needs of the community for economic activity for the next 20
years. The BCP coordinates policies and facilities in order to provide necessary services at a
constrained cost.
The BCP encourages urban intensity annexed development. Development on municipal
services allows a much higher density of uses. This lowers stress on agricultural properties to
stop production and reduces conflicts with rural residential development disrupting
agricultural operations.
5. That residential areas provide healthy surroundings for family life;
Residential areas which provide healthy surroundings are protected in the plan by policies
requiring adequate mitigation of development impacts, provision of public and private
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 9 of 11
utilities, provision of parks and trails, protection of the natural environment, and a broad
view of community health. Substantially isolating residences from services is not considered
supportive of healthy surroundings as it can increase health hazards, such as asthma from
poor air quality caused by excessive vehicle use. The BCP calls for adequate development
review and community maintenance to address and mitigate hazards. A diverse range of
housing is encouraged and supported to meet the wide range of housing needs in the
community.
6. The growth of the community be commensurate with and promotive of the efficient and
economical use of public funds.
The BCP describes a compact future growth pattern which maximizes the value from
previous public expenditures and reduces future expenditures. Distance is one of the largest
impacts on cost of delivery of services. A compact and land efficient development pattern
provides benefits to many users from each installed unit of capacity. This applies both to
capital and operational costs. The various topic plans and BCP seek to maximize the
efficiency of transportation and utility investments by encouraging a compact development
pattern that supports a multi-modal transportation approach which spreads demand over
longer periods and provides travel alternatives which are less costly. Maintaining the high
existing quality of life also supports this criterion by encouraging community reinvestment
and renewal which maintains a pleasant environment and constrains demand for public
services.
APPENDIX A - COORDINATION WITH GALLATIN COUNTY AND OTHERS
The City works to coordinate planning with Gallatin County. There is not a shared planning
board for the Bozeman Community Plan area at this time. The City and Gallatin County do
both participate in the Planning Coordinating Committee (PCC). The PCC was established in
2016 to be a forum for consideration of land use policy and other matters of shared concerns
between its participants.
The PCC is presently working on a policy plan for the area called the Triangle which is
roughly between Bozeman, Belgrade, and Four Corners. This plan recently completed an
initial public comment period and a revised draft will be prepared prior to PCC making a
recommendation to the three jurisdictions.
The overall vision of the document is below. This vision correlates well with the themes,
goals, and map included in the Bozeman Community Plan that is the subject of this report.
“3.1 Triangle Plan Vision
Regional coordination creates and maintains a coherent land use pattern that supports the
needs of existing and future citizens and the desire to protect community character and
amenities. Cooperation between jurisdictions supports development patterns that do not
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 10 of 11
compromise the ability of municipalities to grow in the future or expand necessary
infrastructure.
Belgrade, Bozeman and Gallatin County will coordinate land use in the Triangle to achieve:
• Compact, contiguous development and infill to achieve an efficient use of land and
infrastructure, reducing sprawl and preserving open space, agricultural lands, wildlife
habitat, and water resources;
• Well-planned transportation systems, consistent with the overall growth management
vision, support the development of multi-modal and public transportation networks;
• Community centers that have adequate transportation, utility, health, educational and
recreational facilities. Residential areas that provide healthy surroundings; and
• Opportunities for agriculture, industry and business, while minimizing conflict
between adjacent land uses.”
The City also collaborates with various agencies in preparing the various topic plans
identified in Appendix B of the BCP. Collaboration occurs through mutual aid agreements
for emergency services, shared services such as the Health Department and 911, and other
formal and informal means. An infrastructure plan as outlined in 76-1-601(4)(C), MCA is
also included and addresses coordination with other agencies.
APPENDIX B – NOTICING AND PUBLIC COMMENT
The notice of the Planning Board’s public hearing was published in the Legal Ads section of
the Bozeman Daily Chronicle on November 24, 2019 and December 1, 2019.
Two public comments have been received on the draft since the publication of the notice for
the public hearing. Both comments have been provided to the Planning Board for
consideration. Other comments, should they be received, will be provided to the Planning
Board.
APPENDIX C - REVIEWING STAFF
Applicant: City of Bozeman, PO Box 1230 Bozeman MT 59771
Report By: Chris Saunders, AICP, Community Development Manager
FISCAL EFFECTS
No funds have been budgeted at this time for implementation of the plan. Creation and review of
the new growth policy was funded by the City Commission from long range planning funds over
several fiscal years. Expenditures for the growth policy are within the budgeted funds.
ATTACHMENTS
The full application and file of record can be viewed at the Community Development Department
at 20 E. Olive Street, Bozeman, MT 59715.
16-521, Staff Report for adoption of a new growth policy in 2020. Page 11 of 11
Draft growth policy main text
Draft growth policy supporting appendices
Table showing where each required element has been met in the growth policy
Public comments to date