Growth policy should be adopted

As the Flathead County Planning Board struggles through its review of the county's draft growth policy, a critical deadline is looming.

Oct. 1 is the deadline for the new growth policy to be in effect - a deadline that now won't be met. After that, zone changes won't be possible until a growth policy is adopted.

So Flathead County needs to make some decisions quickly.

It is obvious that no planning document of any kind will please everyone, but perhaps having a state-mandated deadline is a good thing because it will force most parties to recognize the need for compromise and negotiation.

Two major questions need to be resolved immediately: When will the growth plan be adopted, and how detailed a document will it be?

Actually, that second point may determine the timing issue. To refine and augment the growth policy into the all-encompassing document that some people want might take months or years.

As originally written, the growth policy offers general guidelines for future growth and development in the Flathead, rather than specific expectations or a detailed vision.

It is understandable that many people want those details now. They want comprehensive land-use maps and more rigorous management plans to lay out a clear and precise blueprint for planning efforts in the Flathead Valley.

The problem is that those take time and money to compile.

Should the entire growth policy be put on hold for years until all the extra segments are done, or should it built piece by piece - incorporating detailed plans and maps as they are developed?

The answer seems clear.

Waiting until every "i" is dotted and every "t" is crossed in the document and every parcel of land accounted for in map overlays might bring progress to a standstill in the valley.

County zone-change applications are already suspended because zoning changes have to conform to a growth policy as of Oct. 1, and there won't be a growth policy by that date.

That situation is not likely to be welcomed for any period of time by the development community in the Flathead (although such a standstill probably would be embraced by those who would like all growth to stop). The fact of the matter is that the splendid local economy of the last several years has been fueled by the construction industry. We imperil that at our own risk.

So perhaps the best course of action is to get something on the record soon and then add refinements. Get a strong blueprint for the growth policy and include with it some stringent timelines for critical additions such as land-use maps and development-predictability maps.

We have to realize that perfection is not possible, but progress is.