Growing pains

I am concerned about the way the Flathead Valley is succumbing to the rampant spread of urban sprawl. Growth in the valley is taking place at such a fast pace that any chance to avoid the resulting look of "Anytown, USA" is nearly non-existent. It doesn't seem to matter how many well-crafted planning documents there are on record that advocate preservation of open space, clean water protection, accessible public parks, landscape and view guidelines, wildlife corridors and neighborhood character protection, the various neighborhood advisory committees, the county planning staff, the county planning board and the Flathead County Commissioners don't seem to think these documents are critical factors to consider when reviewing a developer's subdivision proposal. It appears to me that most of the applications are merely being given a quick look to see if they meet the minimum requirements. Little or no time is being spent to discover what sort of long term impacts a given subdivision, Master Plan amendment or conditional use permit will really have on the nature of the whole valley. How will the traffic flow be changed? What will it look like to the millions of Montana visitors who travel our roadways? What kind of additional strain will be put on our infrastructure? How will our property values ultimately be affected?

We need to get serious about guiding the growth in the Flathead Valley. We all have to realize that every change or addition, no matter how small or seemingly remote, has an ultimate affect on the entire area. If we are ever going to preserve those attributes of the valley which we all either grew up enjoying, came here for or remain here for, we must make sure that we put people in charge who will work diligently to see that those attributes remain intact. Ultimately, pure water, healthy air, pleasing visual panoramas, safe traffic routes and uniquely fashioned neighborhoods, coupled with carefully sited business clusters will insure the successful longevity of the valley better than the uncontrolled, shotgun-style growth which we presently see occurring. Let's work together to truly make things better for future generations.

Edd Blackler

Bigfork