PLANNING THE WEST

Population Gains Eat Up Available Land in the West

By Headwaters News, 9-18-06

"Plan" and "zone" used to be treated as other four-letter words uttered in some parts of the West, but as waves and waves of newcomers fill up subdivisions that are popping up all over the region, land-use efforts are gaining ground in new areas of the West and are being revamped in areas that have had such plans in place for decades.

The desire for suburban living that arose in the 40s and 50s has turned into the desire for a place of one’s own, usually in exurbs.

Exurbs, those subdivisions miles away from the closest towns, were the focus of a two-day land-use conference held last week in Idaho.
The Idaho Statesman reports that ranchers, public officials, conservationists, hunters and anglers at the Idaho Land-Use Summit voiced their concerns about what is happening in rural Idaho counties.

County officials said that a state mandate on managing growth should come with assistance for such planning efforts attached. The Statesman quotes Adams County Commissioner Judy Ellis as saying, "We are one of four states without technical support (offered to counties for planning), yet we are mandated by the state to plan. There's not a full-time planner anywhere in our county. I'm a teacher and a dairyman. I didn't come prepared to write ordinances."

The change in the highest value use of private land from agricultural and resource uses such as timber and mining into development is part of the reason rural counties are being hit with an onslaught of growth issues.

And as development consumes more and more land, wildlife officials said keeping access open to public lands is increasingly difficult. Sixty percent of Idaho lands are public lands—and most of the best wildlife habitat is on private lands — which makes government support of private landowners willing to create and conserve important habitat increasingly important.

Ada County’s Blueprint for Good Growth was lauded by conference attendees as a step in the right direction. The comprehensive land-use plan that links growth with transportation plans cleared its first major hurdle when the Blueprint’s policies and objectives were approved by the county, the six city councils within the county and state and county transportation officials. Now the blueprint moves on to actual projects and governmental agreements on those projects.

Idaho officials need look no further than Colorado to see how various land-use plans have played out over the past two decades of phenomenal growth.

The Boulder Daily Camera reports that over the past 50 years, Colorado’s population has more than tripled; Boulder County’s population has increased six-fold and tiny Superior which lies between Denver and Boulder on Colo. 128 has grown from a sleepy burg of 134 to more than 13,700 today.

Boulder planners anticipate that Boulder will gain somewhere between 13,000 and 16,000 residents over the next 15 years or so, and Denver area planners anticipate another 1.3 million residents will arrive in their area over that time period.

That anticipation of growth has provided the impetus for The Denver Regional Council of Governments’ Metro Vision 2030 plan -- which calls for the development of “distinct pedestrian-friendly urban and suburban communities within a limited area," with transportation systems including "sidewalks, bike paths, bus service, rail transit and roads,” and it calls for, among other things, increasing the density of housing as a means to accommodate future growth.

Boulder County has plenty of open space, thanks to ambitious efforts to help ensure that about 65 percent of the county’s 474,000 total acres are dedicated to open space. But those planning efforts that limited residential growth while allowing commercial and industrial growth to continue have fostered a commuter work force which drove sprawl outside the county.

Planners say that increasing housing density from an average of four units per acre to 4.5 units per acre would conserve an area the size of the city of Boulder by 2030.
At least one developer has already jumped on board the infill train of thought for new development. The Denver Post today reports that the Birch Street Group saw potential in Denver’s smaller lots four years ago and began designing homes to fit into the Mile High City’s older neighborhoods.

While Denver and other cities such as Salt Lake City have been plagued with “McMansions”, those over-sized behemoth new homes that tower above modest bungalows in some older neighborhoods, the Birch Street Group said it tries to make sure the homes fit into the neighborhoods. Over the past four years in Denver’s older neighborhoods that have been built out for decades, the company has replaced more than 100 homes and they have 60 more projects under development.

Montana, too, has its woes created by a new wave of growth. An Associated Press story published in the Billings Gazette said one of the primary concerns for Flathead County officials who are working on a comprehensive growth plan, is how to manage growth and sustain affordable housing.

The county’s comprehensive growth plan currently under construction calls for “safe housing that is available, accessible and affordable for all sectors of the population.” But the Flathead County Planning Board says that clause needs to be strengthened. The board suggested adding density bonuses that give developers an incentive to create affordable housing in new subdivisions. The Board also said new consideration should be given to trailer parks and subdivisions that allow manufactured housing.

As the Flathead County Planning Board offers trailer parks as a way to boost affordable housing numbers, trailer parks in other states are already being emptied out to clear the way for pricier housing. Elderly residents and lower-income residents are already being evicted from their homes because the owners of the trailer parks are selling out to developers.

And so the cycle continues.

Like this story? Get more! Sign up for our free newsletters.