City wants say in Heights planning

Hungry Horse News

The county's proposed planning jurisdiction is too small and should include land east of the city, city officials and planning board members told the county commissioners at a public hearing in Columbia Falls Monday, Nov. 29.

Saying he can't understand why the county wanted to eliminate most of the city's planning authority between the Flathead River and Columbia Heights, City Manager Bill Shaw told the commissioners the area exerts an influence on the city, and the city had a legitimate concern about planning in that area.

"I agree that the current 4 1/2-mile planning area is too large, but taking it back to one mile is going too far," Shaw said. "We clearly think that Columbia Heights and the Blue Moon area are important to the city, especially in light of the 20-year growth policy."

Shaw said the growth policy will be limited to the area within the county's proposed boundaries, leaving important areas with no city input on planning. State law requires the city complete its growth policy by Oct. 1, 2006.

Commissioner Howard Gipe said the county didn't believe the city would extend city services across the river anytime soon, and with the Old Red Bridge closed to traffic, they thought it was more likely the city would expand westward toward the Blue Moon area.

"I suppose it's possible the city will take Columbia Heights sometime in the future," Gipe said. "But it's like Kalispell taking Evergreen-I don't think you could afford it."

Commissioner Gary Hall said he was hearing from county residents east of Columbia Falls that they didn't expect the city would extend services to them. Furthermore, new package sewage-treatment plants made it possible for development without city services, he said.

Columbia Heights-resident Clarence Taber expressed strong opposition to the idea of giving the city authority over planning east of the river. Citing difficulties he claimed he had dealing with the city over land he wanted to develop in the Vans Avenue area, Taber said he didn't trust the city government.

"I don't want to have regulation without representation. It's like a checkerboard, and you have all the checkers," Taber said. "I don't want to pay more, and I will pay more if you put me in the city."

In laying out the county's proposal, county planning office director Forrest Sanderson said residents in the proposed planning jurisdiction would not pay higher taxes, and that the commissioners were 100 percent opposed to allowing the city authority over building inspections outside the city limits.

Sanderson said the reasons why the county brought the proposal forward included cost-savings for both the government and landowners through streamlining the process and the need to get the growth policy completed.

"The growth policy must be completed by law," Sanderson said. "Whitefish is experiencing stagnation - we don't need that here in Columbia Falls."

Local Realtor Bill Dakin said he agreed with Shaw's call for enlarging the planning area.

"I expect Columbia Heights will one day become part of the city - the river will not stop expansion of the city to the east," Dakin said.

Four members of the city's planning board - Sarah Dakin, Charles Lapp, Dave Renfrow and Russ Vukonich - spoke in favor of a larger planning jurisdiction.

"I think the river is not a barrier to extending services," Renfrow said. "Like it or not, the city will eventually inherit areas that were not planned."

Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. human resources director Lyle Phillips set the record straight on a large piece of undeveloped land east of the city. The land across the river from the smelter is part of a green belt shielding the plant from view, he said.

"The company will not sell that land so long as the plant is operating," he said.

No action was taken by the council on the county's proposal.