Opinion - Top opinion

POSTED: Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009

A suggestion for dealing with Kendall-area growth

I'd like to talk about our community's need to step back, take a deep breath, and apply a strong dose of sense to a situation that's been getting pretty prickly.

The subject is growth. Where and how much? Oh, groan, not that again. This has not been a happy topic to bring up anywhere lately, don't you think? Everybody makes a face. Eyes roll. Sometimes it feels like we've time-warped back to the Civil War. Some say this is a fight between "greens" and "greenbacks." But I don't see it that way.

While there's a lot of good in the growth we have seen - fabulous medical services, great stores, and an economy that has boomed for a while - we all spend more time in traffic than we'd like. New housing complexes and businesses seem to pop from the ground like mushrooms. And taxes keep going up. A lot of us wonder when - and if - things might settle down. Everyone wonders, how far will growth go outward, and where next?

You may shrug and say, "How much real choice do we have?" Luckily, we do get a chance to reflect on this as a community periodically. Plans are being updated now, and your input could make a difference. This county will continue to grow.

The big policy choice, the question must be answered right now is, "Where does all that growth belong?" I'm specifically interested in whether an new urban growth - a city - should be encouraged 23 miles out, in the mountains?

Cities have a lot going for them. You can order pizza, and someone will actually bring it to you. There are stores galore. You can hop a bus. Done right, you can have "safety in numbers," and taxes could go down due to "economies of scale." It sounds sensible. All of our cities are planning to grow a bit right now, and they're looking at their urban growth area capacity.

Meanwhile, a lot of folks like living more of a rural life. They want a bit more quiet, and don't mind shopping less often. Pizza may come out of a box from the freezer. They've made the choice to have a little less convenience. That's not been a problem for most.

But quite a few years ago, the Columbia Valley, beyond Kendall, was given urban growth area status. There wasn't actually a plan to start a city. Over time, the developments have attracted a lot more residents, but that's about all that's happened. Now the difficult question arises: "What now?" Should this ever have been an urban growth area so far from town? Should it ever be a city? A big city?

I believe there's middle ground available - a more sensible solution. Columbia Valley can be re-classified as a local area with more intense rural development (they call that a LAMIRD). If this were a LAMIRD Type 3, with some re-zoning it could contain the businesses and services that the local folks want and need, and maybe even have an industrial park.

Deborah Ellen Baker is a Glacier resident.