County zoning man
Weland anticipates a fine 53rd
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August 8, 2011 |
Boundary County zoning administrator Mike Weland
has big plans for his 53rd birthday August 29
... the culmination of a process that began
seven years ago, and one required by state law
to occur every ten years.
"I don't know at this point if anything's
guaranteed, because you never know what we're
going to hear at public hearing," Weland said.
"But I'm hopeful that eight years of effort is
going to result in land use law we can all live
with. A lot of work and thought has gone into
it, the process has dragged on for a long time
to allow that consideration, and I echo
something that I said at the outset, back in
2005, 'the end result won't please everyone.'"
It's not going to be perfect, but it can be
amended.
"We solicited and begged for public comment from
day one," Weland said, "and over 100 county
residents came together to draft the
comprehensive plan in 1998. Not everyone agreed
with that. I came up with a draft ordinance
based on what I heard through that process ...
and that draft bogged down in a quagmire.
County Commission chair Ron Smith, recognizing
that the process could not drag on forever, with
the county bound by land use laws drafted in the
late 1990s proving unworkable, held his hand up
and said, "this has got to stop."
With the consent of his fellow county
commissioners, he directed Weland to start again
from scratch, this time free of outside
influence, but each section to be reviewed by
county civil attorneys to ensure that what was
proposed me the standards of Idaho Code.
Taken to public hearing in front of the planning
and zoning commission; that draft me expected
results, half of the less than 20 people who
showed up thought it was too restrictive, half
thought it was too lax.
In the many weeks since, the planning and zoning
commission has worked the draft, available
here, to reflect every concern
raised. Every step of the way, chair Dan Studer referred to
concerns raised during public hearing, and members participating concurred.
P&Z co-chair Matt Cossalman brought forth and
argued a different approach.
That's the draft going to public hearing on my
brithday.
"I don't think that everything the P&Z
commission proposes is going to stand legal
concerns or the will of the public as expressed
in the Comprehensive Plan," Weland said, "But I
have no doubt that the members are sincere in
their attempts to ensure that the people of
Boundary County don't get bogged down by
over-regulation. As administrator, I agree. I
get great pleasure in telling people "yes, what
you want to do is possible, and in having a
clear set of rules by which I can say 'yes,'
than in telling them 'maybe.'"
"I have every expectation that I'm going to be
body slammed on my birthday," Weland said. "I
hope for it. It was determined in 2005 that our
current land use laws don't work for this
community, and that was assurred by the Supreme
Court ruling regarding gravel pits. I never
thought it would take so long to arrive at a set
of rules we can agree on, and I'm not sure yet,
but I pray the end of this process is in sight.
People and businesses are waiting in the wings
to bring jobs and development to this county,
but they want to know what our laws are."
"I hope everyone comes to my 53rd birthday party
at 5:30 p.m. Monday, August 29, at the extension
office," Weland said.
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