Planning director to step down

Flathead County Planning Director B.J. Grieve is changing jobs, but he’s not going far.

Grieve recently asked the county administrator and commissioners to allow him to step into a vacant senior planner position. The county is advertising for a new director, and Grieve will remain director until a replacement is hired, he said.

“I’ve been in the planning director position for four and a half years and I feel like my tenure has simply run its natural course,” Grieve said. “I went into it in 2010 fully aware that the Flathead County planning director position isn’t necessarily a sustainable, 25-year gig, but it was a great opportunity to learn and grow pretty early in my career.

“Equally importantly, I have a 5-month-old and a 6-year-old that would love to have more time with their dad right now,” he added.

Grieve also said he hopes a new planning director can bring a fresh perspective and new experiences to tackle some of the county’s big challenges.

Grieve, 38, joined the planning staff in 2004 and was interim director in 2010 when he stepped up to the director job when Planning Director Jeff Harris resigned.

A Wisconsin native, Grieve has a degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a master’s degree in geography from East Carolina University. He joined the Flathead County planning staff during a time of unprecedented residential and commercial growth and said he quickly saw the value of consistency and transparency in planning work.

Over the past year the Planning Office has been challenged with working through the transition of the Whitefish “doughnut” area from city to county planning jurisdiction, as mandated by a state Supreme Court ruling.

Grieve said he encourages residents to stop by the Planning Office and visit if they have any questions about the staff transition.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze can be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.