City of Great Falls has adopted a new Growth Policy that city leaders say will serve as a roadmap for how the community grows over the next 20 years.
The document, officially known as the Future Great Falls Land Use Plan and Growth Policy, outlines the city's vision for housing, economic development, transportation, infrastructure, parks and future land use. It was created in response to new Montana regulations that require communities to adopt a land use plan as part of their long-term planning process.
"The growth policy, which per new state regulation is also known as our land use plan, is our guiding document for the next 20 years of city growth and development," said Brock Cherry, Great Falls' Strategic Development Officer.
Rather than approving specific projects, the policy establishes a framework that city leaders will use when evaluating future zoning requests, subdivisions and major developments.
"What it does is it helps provide transparency and predictability for both residents and those that want to invest in our community, that this is the way we want to grow, and this is what it might look like," Cherry said.
He said the plan is intended to help residents better understand future development proposals.
"As you see things happening in our community, or you receive a letter about some sort of zoning change for a new project or a new development, you can refer to this policy and have an idea of how the city is going to approach that discussion," Cherry said.
One of the policy's major focuses is housing. The city hopes to encourage a wider variety of housing options while making better use of existing infrastructure and encouraging development in areas already served by roads and utilities.
Cherry said the city has already approved hundreds of new housing units but wants to better understand why some projects have not yet moved into construction.
"We know from the city perspective that we've literally have approved hundreds of new dwellings, but they're having a little bit of difficulty coming out of the ground," he said. "With the growth policy, we actually do an annual review to see not only are we approving things effectively, but is there anything else the city can do to actually see vertical construction."
Another new component of the plan is a Future Land Use Map. Though not the same as a zoning map, the Land Use Map identifies areas both inside and outside current city limits where different types of development may be appropriate as Great Falls grows.
“The map says that when growth happens, this is what we hope it kind of looks like,” Cherry explained.
The map designates areas for future residential, commercial, industrial and mixed-use development and will play a significant role when city officials review development proposals.
"If there was to be a rezone, if we were to be looking at a subdivision or a significant project, we would look first to the future land use map to ensure that it aligns with our future growth priorities," Cherry said.
He said the map also provides guidance for developers by identifying where different types of projects best fit within the community's long-term vision.
"So as developers come to the city, we would look at the future land use map. If someone was like, 'Well, I want to do a major industrial development in a place that’s we’ve identified as future residential,' we would say, 'Well, that's not necessarily what our community said when we did our public outreach,'" Cherry said. "If industrial development is something that you're interested in, we actually do have areas in our community which we have defined more suitable for that potential."
Cherry believes the policy also sends a message that Great Falls is prepared for future investment.
"What we are seeing is greater interest in our community," he said. "What this policy says is we want that to happen. So, it's an outward expression to the development community that our city is open for business."
City leaders say the Growth Policy is designed to remain flexible. It will be reviewed annually and can be updated as community priorities and development opportunities change.
"We're going to have annual reviews with our team to ensure that we're meeting the expectations," Cherry said. "And also if new things happen, we can amend it. We can add those in and make sure that we're being responsive and agile to the opportunities that are before us."
Cherry also encouraged residents to read the plan and stay involved as Great Falls continues to grow.
"There's a lot of great stuff in here, and you may learn something that you didn't know before about our community," he said. "So educate yourself and then participate. Participate in neighborhood councils, participate in Planning Advisory Board meetings and City Commission meetings. Come speak to the Planning Division and the Building Division. Know that you're always invited to be part of the conversation."
Ultimately, Cherry said the document is only the first step in shaping the city's future.
"A plan is worthless without effort and work. It just maps out our journey," he said. "But it's up to us as a community to ultimately find solutions and a path forward to ensure that our community is the community that we want to live in for the next 20, 30, 50, 100 years."
You can check out the full Future Great Falls Land Use Plan and Growth Policy here.
