For the week of September 18 - 24, 2002

Bellevue endorses new Comprehensive Plan

Final document set for public review

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By GREGORY FOLEY
Express Staff Writer

Bellevue City Council members Thursday endorsed a new Comprehensive Plan designed to be the city’s guiding land-use document in future years.

Without dissent, the panel told Mayor John Barton to hold a public hearing Thursday, Sept. 26, on a revised draft of the 75-page document. Council members after the hearing are scheduled to hold a vote on whether to approve a resolution to adopt the new plan.

With Councilman Wayne Douthit absent, the five-member council moved to advance the plan and an associated land-use map to the public hearing after only a brief discussion.

"I say let’s pass the Comprehensive Plan. We’ve been working on this for seven years," Councilman Parke Mitchell said.

Councilman Jon Wilkes initiated an amendment to the language in the plan to note that many residents are impacted by noise from arriving and departing aircraft that use Friedman Memorial Airport.

Language in several parts of the plan specifically noted that Bellevue residents are commonly impacted by noise from inbound flights.

Wilkes’ motion to have the plan note that residents are impacted by noise from flight traffic in general passed unanimously by a 5-0 vote.

In essence, the proposed Comprehensive Plan aims to give city officials a document to guide future decisions on land-use issues. The document outlines a series of guiding policies for the city to follow, as well as suggested actions to implement the plan and its overall goals.

The plan itself states that it will "serve as a guide for local decision-makers to use to assure that decisions are made in the best interests of the community."

All Idaho cities and counties are required by the Idaho Local Land Use Planning Act of 1975 to have a Comprehensive Plan that guides development by examining certain components such as population growth, transportation, schools and public facilities.

 

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