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Where is Our Master Plan Now?
During the past several years the obvious, indiscriminate growth within Montrose County has become an increasingly important and contentious issue. How do we best balance competing interests and still manage the complex problems associated with our county's "popularity"?
Fortunately, our county already possesses such a document called the MASTER PLAN, which was painstakingly created several years ago to provide just such guidance and direction. (A copy is available from the county land use office, or on the Montrose county web site at http://www.co.montrose.co.us/LUD_masterplan.htm).
Master Plans are legally provided for in the Colorado Revised Statutes, so that each county can create its own vision and guide for "accomplishing community aspirations and intentions." Broadly speaking, a Master Plan "states goals and objectives, and recommends courses of action for future growth and development of land, public facilities and services, and environmental protection." (MASTER PLAN PRIMER, Colorado Dept. of Local Affairs, Office of Smart Growth; 303-866-4552; http://www.dola.state.co.us/SmartGrowth).
The "Primer" goes on to explain that the principal purpose of a master plan is the achievement of community goals by stating values and objectives by:
A good master plan also acknowledges the impossibility of predicting the future; and hence, provides for regular review and updating.
Each county planning commission is tasked with preparing, adopting, and using its master plan. The plan "Implementation Section" specifies how the plan will be used. As the "Primer" states, some areas of usage consideration include: a basis for regulatory (zoning, density, etc.) guidance, a reference for county programs and decision-making, a standard for review- to measure and evaluate public and private development proposals, and a source of information for long-term guidance.
The good news is that the Montrose County Master Plan was carefully prepared, and it contains all of these ingredients.
The bad news is that its review and updating provisions have apparently been ignored, ironically by those entrusted with that task- some of whom now claim that it is unusable because it is "outdated", and does not possess "sufficient exactitude." This leaves our county in the classic "Catch 22" predicament...
As a result, the plan is NOT being used. The default plan is NO plan.
The county is currently in the process of performing this updating; and it is to be commended for its efforts...because the consequences of having long-ignored the Master Plan are currently painfully obvious...
Given this history, one of the first "updates" probably ought to include a REQUIREMENT of periodic review and updating so that we are never again subjected to the circular excuse making which we now endure.
And, this needs to be said: Effective democracy demands INFORMED citizen PARTICIPATION.
Fortunately for this county, intelligent and committed citizens have stepped up to tackle this challenge. The county should encourage and embrace this involvement from parties of all persuasions.
Montrose Citizens for Responsible Growth (a non-partisan, apolitical non-profit organization) is in the process of conducting a master plan information campaign, and this group welcomes input from all interested parties. After providing accurate background information, we plan to retain an independent and professional polling organization to survey our citizens on the subject of our Master Plan adoption and usage.
We hope to obtain input, assistance, and cooperation from the county land use staff in this project.
Montrose Citizens for Responsible Growth
(www.montrosecitizens.org)
249-3835
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