Appendices Added - Edits to Third Element Sections

SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee voted to add appendices to the draft growth plan at their meeting June 14. The committee also discussed and edited three sections of the Land Use Element.

Despite Chair Ken Donovan’s objection to including appendices in the draft plan, he and the rest of the committee voted to include appendices. Donovan was concerned it would make the document redundant.

Committee member Diann Ericson compiled the additions to the appendices from text the committee eliminated from the draft plan. Ericson stated that the 1996 Swan Valley Growth Plan contained appendices. The committee voted unanimously to include the appendices after Ericson asked journalist Suzanne Vernon if she agreed with using them in the plan.

“Absolutely. Everyone uses them [appendices],” Vernon said.

The committee unanimously accepted member Pat Sinz’s paragraph to replace the final paragraph of the Asset Based Approach to Future Development section. Sinz’s paragraph focused on the assets contained within private property currently listed in the third element: clean air and water; wildlife and wildlife habitat; the rural, wild character of community; open spaces; scenic views and vistas and the scenic qualities of Swan Valley and the surroundings.

Sinz’s paragraph replaced the recommendation of no more than one unit (residence) per 40 acres with more specific suggestions as how to maintain the assets. Her revision stressed retaining the assets by maintaining low residential density overall; cluster development, where feasible; including home-based businesses, commercial and light industrial development; or a permanent voluntary conservation easement. The paragraph suggests that the Missoula County Planning Board consider each potential property development on a case-by-case basis and the proposed development should include evaluation by residents and neighbors.

The committee passed the edits to the Areas for Additional Residential Development section. Ericson was the only committee member who voted against the motion as she wanted the section to remain as originally written. The remaining members agreed that the edits removed excess verbiage.

The section states that many of the available vacant, privately owned tracts of land that could be developed lie within two miles of Highway 83. This lessens the impact on wildlife habitat and does not infringe on wildlife travel corridors. The need for specific wildlife assessments to identify and protect the most valuable wildlife habitat is also mentioned in the paragraph. It also states that a base density of one unit per five or ten acres is appropriate or higher if clustering preserves the unique assets.

The committee voted to apply the comments sent from The Nature Conservancy to the SVRPC concerning the section entitled Section 31. The text, which read the 640-acre tract of land located across from the Swan Valley Community Hall, library and the Swan Valley Centre was “transferred” from the Plum Creek Timber Company, was changed to “sold by.”

The committee also added the word “may” to the verbiage “the 319 acres remaining after the east half was conveyed to the U.S. Forest Service ‘may’ remain available for community uses if the property can be acquired.”

The first three sentences of the edits to the section were accepted which recommended Section 31 as an “ideal site for land uses and development that would be of benefit to the entire community.” The edits moved the final sentence to the beginning of the paragraph and excess verbiage was removed.

The SVRPC will continue with the Future Development Potential section of the third element at their July 12 meeting, held at the Swan Valley Community Hall at 7 p.m.