Process for county growth plan rewrite upsets some

The Kootenai County Planning Commission starts Monday the yearlong process of rewriting the county’s growth plan.

Yet some local groups worry the method won’t allow for enough public input and are urging the county commission to appoint a citizens advisory committee.

The county commissioners – including the two newly elected members – oppose the notion and say the public will get several chances each month to make suggestions on the revision of the comprehensive plan, which is the foundation of all land-use decisions.

“We’re not going to be in a dungeon here or anything,” Commission Chairman Rick Currie said Tuesday in response to Neighbors for Responsible Growth’s request for a citizens committee.

The volunteer planning commission is scheduled to meet the second and fourth Monday of each month for three-hour workshop sessions. Each meeting will focus on a specific topic.

On Monday, the commission will discuss how to create unique growth plans for various regions of the county that have unique characteristics, such as Mica Flats or the east side of Lake Coeur d’Alene. It’s a suggestion made by Colorado-based planning consultants hired by the county to encourage public involvement in the growth plan.

KezziahWatkins in December presented its report to the county commission, which was based on comments from 1,450 people who participated in surveys and meetings about how the county should – or shouldn’t – grow.

It’s an idea that wasn’t so popular with county officials 18 months ago when residents living south of Coeur d’Alene near Mica Flats and Kidd Island proposed a similar idea of creating their own comprehensive plan that the county could adopt to protect the rural character of the area.

At the time, the commission said the neighborhood-specific growth plan likely wouldn’t carry any more weight than public comment. But times have changed in Kootenai County as more neighborhood groups are getting involved in land-use decisions. There are also two new commissioners who ousted incumbents in November, an overthrow that many people attributed to the previous commission’s refusal to listen to the people.

The public is invited to attend Monday’s meeting, but can’t testify. Instead, residents have until noon Sunday to e-mail written comments to the county.

Bev Twillmann of Neighbors for Responsible Growth said the public didn’t get notification of the topic until Thursday, not enough time to craft thoughtful and constructive responses. Tom Macy, an Independent who ran against newly elected Commissioner Todd Tondee in the November election, is concerned about people who don’t have access to a computer.

Twillmann suspects the announcement of topics and the option for written comments is in response to her request made to the county commissioners for the citizens advisory panel. She doesn’t think it’s enough. And she fears that the planning consultants hired to encourage public participation this fall with meetings and surveys was only placation.

“What are they so afraid of?” Twillmann said Friday.

Besides allowing written comments before each planning session, the planning commission also will have an “open mic” at 6 p.m. night the fourth Thursday of each month. The county also will keep its Web site updated with information, such as the upcoming topic for each planning session.

“It’s a way we can make sure we keep the public involved,” said Jan Gera, the planning department’s administrative supervisor.

Gera added that the county commission and the planning commission remain opposed to appointing a citizens committee.

Tondee told Twillmann Tuesday that the commission is dedicated to ensuring all residents – not just representatives from various neighborhood groups or businesses – have a say.

“When you form a group some voices could get squashed,” he said. “This process will be very open.”