I would like to thank everyone who attended Citizens for Smart Growth's annual meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16. I would also like to thank County Commissioner Larry Schoen for leading a discussion on "How We Live" at the event.
Looking around the gathering I saw citizens, government officials, business leaders, nonprofit employees and developers. These are the groups that need to continue working together on growth issues in the region.
This morning, I attended a Blaine County meeting regarding regional planning. I learned that in the next year Blaine County is poised to see an unprecedented amount of proposed development. Just with Cove Springs ranch, Strahorn, the Bellevue annexations, the Cutters annexation and Sweetwater in Woodside there are more than 2,100 units being considered or approved. This is comparable to adding three more Bellevues, which had 724 households recorded in the 2000 census, to the valley. Granted, they will all not be built out in the next 12 months, but they are real in their presence, immediacy and how they will change this county.
I commend the County Commission for supporting a regional planning department as a pathway to form partnerships and feedback loops necessary to help the region determine how we will move forward together. Smart Growth is excited about the "Access Blaine" portion of the regional planning program as it seeks to institute a system of outreach that could take the process to the people. We look forward to working with the county to help implement this new regional planning process.
Citizens for Smart Growth believes the people of Blaine County deserve healthy economically viable towns and homes that are both affordable and close to jobs and activities. They deserve less time in traffic and more opportunities to enjoy recreation and natural areas. They deserve air and water of the highest quality and a landscape our children can be proud to inherit. We believe ordinary citizens deserve a much greater say and better options in choosing their communities' futures. In light of the impending development, we must keep working together through a cooperative local and regional planning process, ensure our values as a community are both protected and enhanced.
Vanessa Crossgrove Fry
Citizens for Smart Growth
