County Planning Comments Open through December 15
 | Author:
Nancy Marks, Reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
County Planning Comments Open through December 15
Nancy Marks
Reporter
County residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity one last time to voice their concerns and suggestions about how Broadwater County growth should happen.
WGM Engineering senior land planner Jamie Erbacher told a group on December 6 at Bridger Brewing near Three Forks she and her crew will build a draft text and preliminary draft maps for the county planning board. Interested people can access the interactive land use maps on the Broadwater County website beginning December 18. From there the county planning board will take additional comments up to January 8, 2024, before it adopts the new plan to present to county commissioners.
WGM Engineering is working with the Montana Department of Commerce to facilitate the months-long process of updating the county growth plan. The plan had not been updated since 2020.
Four South County residents and three North County residents deliberated over the maps, adding areas they were aware of concerning open space resources, agricultural lands, and residential areas already in place. Wheatland subdivision resident Doug Simpson pointed out possible new subdivisions in his area. Simpson also questioned whether the state-owned public land east of the Headwaters Livestock Auction could be sold for affordable housing units.
Chuck Hahn pointed out areas in the Crow Creek Valley where light industries such as Lone Mountain Coolers and a large livestock feedlot already exist. Hahn also pointed out a mistake on the maps. The map showed a proposed residential area west of Highway 287 across from Galzagorry Road. “ The land is privately owned grazing ground, not land open for residential housing,” he said.
County Planner Nichole Brown emphasized she would add all the existing preliminary platted plots to the interactive maps. They will show actual residences already built, and which platted areas are yet to have houses.
Erbacher asked participants to include places for planned neighborhoods, commercial town centers, civic services areas such as sheriff, fire and emergency services. The Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD) is already designated as an industrial center which will attract new businesses such as Murdochs, restaurants and grocery stores. “It would make sense to put a parcel of land nearby for workforce housing,” Erbacher said.
For more information or to mark up the interactive maps go to broadwatercountymt.com or call Erbacher at (406) 728 4611.
