County P&Z closing in
on land use ordinance
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July 22, 2011 |
 Members of the Boundary County Planning and
Zoning Commission in attendance at a Thursday
evening workshop, stymied by lack of quorum, are
confident that they see the culmination of
several year's work next week, when hopefully
with a quorum, they finalize their
recommendation on a zoning map and come to
agreement on the text of a new Boundary County
Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance that will
establsih rules for development in the county
for the next several years.
"It hasn't been easy," said zoning administrator
Mike Weland, who wrote an initial draft
ordinance from which to work following
completion of the Boundary County Comprehensive
Plan in 2008. "I was beginning to wonder if I'd
ever hear what I heard last night, and with
unanimous voice. If a quorum would have been
present, I'm sure they'd have all agreed. It's
taken a long time, there's another review by
legal counsel coming, but I think these people
have done a great job. I think they've developed
a set of land use laws that meets the goals
established in our comp plan and will serve this
county well, without being onerous."
The Boundary County Planning and Zoning
Commission will hold another workshop at 5:30
p.m. Thursday, July 28, to make recommendations
on a new zoning map. If they have a quorum, they
have one of two options; to forward a
recommendation of approval to County
Commissioners or to schedule a second public
hearing before the P&Z commission.
"The Planning and zoning commission is not
obligated by law to hold another public
hearing," Weland said, "They already held one,
incorporated what they heard with due diligence
during workshops over the last several months,
and produced the revised draft. They can submit
that draft to County Commissioners with a
recomendation of approval, or they can choose to
hold another hearing on their revised draft."
Should progress continue and P&Z elect to hold
their own public hearing, the earliest such
public hearing could be held, given public
notification requirements estabnlished by Idaho
Code, would be August 25, which would have to be
established as a special meeting.
Based on the outcome, they could then choose to
forward a recommendation to county commissioners
or determine that the draft needs yet more
refinement. In the best case scenario, county
commissioners could then schedule public
hearing, not sooner than September 19. If, as
hoped, the proposed draft is approved, it could
go into effect after publication in the county
newspaper of record as early as September 29.
If, however, the planning and zoning commission
determines at the July 28 workshop, with quorum
present, to forego their own second public
hearing and instead forward a recommendation to
commissioners, public hearing could take place
before county commissioners as early as August
22.
Based on the outcome, county commissioners
could, in the best case, approve the draft, set
publication and adopt the ordinance as early as
September 1.
"Personally, I prefer the latter option," Weland
said. "The sooner we get this new ordinance in
place, the sooner people will start investing in
businesses here. I've seen people with great
ideas who are withholding applications for
development because what's being proposed is
better and more flexible than what we have right
now. Some of them have great ideas, but they're
not willing to invest until they know what the
rules are. They don't mind going through the
processes we establish. For the most part, they
want more to know what they need to do to assure
that they meet our rules and, in so doing, gain
the approval of their neighbors." |
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