Crossroads July 2021
The problem is that the history of sprawl and unsustainable land use in America is largely a history of good plans ignored and overridden. We don’t have a lack of good plans as much as a lack of good implementation of plans that, ultimately, are largely advisory in nature. We have a lack of plans that matter.
Livingston Growth Policy adopted
June 2021 was an awesome month in the world of community planning in Park County.
Thanks to the good work of many, many individuals, Livingston has a growth policy it can be proud of. On June 15, City Commissioners voted unanimously on final adoption of the new, long-range community plan.
The new plan is comprehensive, it directs new growth inside current city limits, and ensures that new growth currently outside city limits is accomplished in a thoughtful manner that doesn’t promote sprawl. The new plan also speaks to our housing challenges, supports strengthening our local economy and community character, advocates for protection of our natural resources, and more.
This is a big accomplishment, and we are proud.
There is more work to be done to implement these ideas.
As city planner Mathieu Menard is quick to remind all of us, Livingston’s Growth Policy is a non-regulatory document. It’s essentially a visionary document full of community goals and objectives.
The teeth come from regulatory documents (as Kaid Benfield, co-founder of Smart Growth America, explains: (“plans that matter”) like zoning ordinances, subdivision regulations and housing work plans. And it’s the teeth we’d be foolish to ignore after all the hard work that went into preparing our growth policy.
Over the upcoming months, we will continue building momentum for growth policy implementation. Stay tuned.
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The urban-rural divide can be clearly seen in this photo of Livingston from the air.
City-County Planning
Another good piece of planning-related news last month is the joint meeting of the City and County planning boards — the first in a number of years. For a variety of reasons over recent decades, a chasm has developed between cities and counties. And we’re not just talking about Livingston and Park County.
The urban-rural divide has complicated community planning in about every corner of our country. It would be easy to drown in the sorrows of many missed opportunities and from the spoils wrought by poor decisions.
In 2014, Peter Fox, then-chair of the Park County Planning and Development Board and county appointee to the Livingston City Planning Board, encouraged us to “improve the way we do things in the future at the city-county interface.”
The new Livingston Growth Policy talks about re-establishing this relationship (particularly to help plan the area immediately outside Livingston city limits). We can’t overstate the importance of a well-thought-out city/county inter-local agreement.
We’re excited the City and County planning boards are committed to working together to find solutions that build a strong future for our community, while helping protect the wildlife, the river, the streams, the air, and all the greatness around us.
We’ll be eagerly listening and helping in all ways we can.
July’s Meetings:
City Planning Board - July 21, 5:30pm
County Planning Board - July 22, 4:00pm
Photo by Jerry Huddleston
Community Conversation: July 7, noon
Bozeman Pass Zoning District: A Case Study
In 2001, the JM Huber Corp. started exploring the idea of drilling for coalbed methane near the Gallatin-Park county line off Interstate 90. As you might imagine, this didn’t sit well with a number of locals.
Concerned residents convinced Gallatin County Commissioners to enact an emergency zoning regulation which established a temporary moratorium on natural resource development while community members and planners figured out a best path ahead.
The best course of action grew as time went on. It’s these incremental planning steps that we’re going to dive into and talk about at our next Community Conversation, July 7, noon-1 p.m.
A number of people who were around back then will be joining the discussion
Community Conversation Schedule
Our summer Community Conversations generally feature county planning and discussions that will help shed light on the wide range of tools available on a county level. These virtual planning discussions are scheduled as follows:
Aug. 4, noon: Neighborhood Plans: Grassroots Planning at its Best
Sept. 1, noon: Predictability and Property Rights
Livingston Trails and Active Transportation Plan
The City of Livingston received more than 300 responses to the Active Transportation Survey, which is a part of the Trails and Active Transportation Plan update process.
A couple tidbits:
- 83.1% of respondents are in favor of designing communities so that more stores and other places are within walking or bicycling distance of homes, even if this means building homes closer together.
- 93.4% of respondents are in favor, or strongly in favor of designing streets and sidewalks to make it safer for walking, rolling, and bicycling, even if this means driving slower.
There are a few opportunities to get involved in July:
Mark your calendars for a Thursday, July 29, community meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Civic Center.
Also, consider attending the Saturday, July 31, community bike ride at 9 a.m. with the consultants.