Session Descriptions
Monday, September 28th
8:30 AM—10:00 AM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Introduction and Value of Planning/ Constitution 101
Robert Horne, Jr., AICP
The rationale and basis for planning with a focus of the rights and responsibilities that a government must balance in land use regulation; including notice, due process, good of the whole, and restraint of rights. The session will also in-clude a review of the statutory rules and responsibilities of a planning board, including creating work plans, budgets, staffing, public hearings, and general discussion on the legal concepts of planning.
10:15 AM—11:45 AM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Growth Policies & State Law
Janet Cornish
This session will provide information and overview of growth policy preparation and implementation in Montana. This critical element of community planning provides the context and enabling language for creating local land use laws and development programs for assisting communities in achieving goals and objectives.
General Session— Meadowlark Room
Planning Ethics
Wyeth Friday, AICP
Dianna Broadie, AICP
Dave DeGrandpre, AICP
This session is based on the Ethics Training Toolkit published by APA and AICP and is intended to provide practical eth-ics training to Montana planners. The presenters and attendees will explore real-life sticky situations and conceptual scenarios where planners have to figure out the best approach to dealing with them. Attendees will be invited to pre-sent their own experiences with ethical dilemmas, viewing the situations through the lens of the AICP Code of Ethics.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
National Heritage Areas – The Ultimate Community-based Collaborative Effort
Jim Jarvis
Since the late-1980s, almost fifty National Heritage Areas (NHAs) have been created throughout the country to help communities protect, develop and promote their local heritage. Originally envisioned as a "new kind of national park" that married community-driven preservation, conservation, recreation, education, and economic development efforts, the benefits of heritage areas are as varied as the resources they represent. The resulting heritage tourism-based eco-nomic activity helps ensure that these unique, unified, and vibrant places survive for the enjoyment of future genera-tions. Previous efforts to create a National Heritage Area in and around Butte and Anaconda have been unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. Jim will explore the history of these efforts, examine obstacles and challenges, present case studies from other NHAs, and encourage one more collaborative effort to tell the story of Montana’s industrialized cop-per mining and smelting industry.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Resiliency Planning in Montana
Allison Mouch, AICP
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
12:00 PM—1:15 PM
Lunch—Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Planning Law Update
Kelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch, Community Development Division Administrator, Montana Department of Commerce, will provide a sum-mary of land use and planning cases from the previous year (2014-2015) from the Montana Supreme Court and state district courts, the 9th Circuit, and Montana federal district courts, and the US Supreme Court. The presentation will relate new case decisions to existing Montana statute and previous case law, describe how the cases will apply to daily government agency planning work, and make suggestions, as necessary, for changes to local planning regulations and ordinances.
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Subdivision Regulation & Review
Wyeth Friday, AICP
An overview of the basic purposes of subdivision review, the state statutory requirements, local regulations and review procedures, and the effects of recent legislation.
Growth Policy Track—Meadowlark Room
Community Voice and Engagement in Our Missoula: The City of Missoula’s Growth Policy Project
Laval Means, AICP
Tom Zavitz, AICP
In the spring of 2014, City of Missoula planners began the process of writing a new growth policy. With public partici-pation the highest priority, Development Services began an extensive outreach program to engage community mem-bers in a meaningful way. The program included numerous opportunities for staff to hear firsthand from the public about their visions and concerns for Missoula while enabling citizens to be informed and educated about the planning process. Outreach ranged from open houses and community presentations to event tables to digital interactive oppor-tunities and beyond. Learn how the City of Missoula’s planning division conducted the outreach process and is trans-forming the feedback received into development policy for the future.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Silver Bow Greenway—A Partnership to Success
Dori Skrukrud, MLA
Silver Bow Creek extends from Butte approximately 22 miles to the Warm Springs Ponds, the headwaters of the Clark Fork River. Since the late 1880’s, tailings and other mine wastes containing high concentrations of metals were discharged directly to Silver Bow Creek and redistributed through a massive flood in 1908 and other events. These toxic discharges impacted the stream and floodplain with heavy metals and virtually eliminated aquatic life in the stream. Tailings deposited in the floodplain are toxic to plants and resulted in a floodplain that was largely devoid of vegetation and generally incapable of supporting wildlife.
The cleanup of Silver Bow Creek has been ongoing since 1999 as part of a Superfund remedial action coordinated by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2000, the Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) and the Greenway Service District (GSD) formed a partnership with DEQ, bringing a res-toration component to the project, driven by community input, that goes beyond the cleanup and has transformed the creek from a severely injured, nearly lifeless stream to an ecosystem that is recovering its original character and value and providing recrea-tional use to citizens and visitors alike.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Devils Kitchen Management Team
Chase Hibbard
Bill Long
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
3:15 PM—4:45 PM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 - Zoning
Chris Saunders, AICP
An overview of the purpose of zoning, various types of zoning, state statutory requirements, implementation, enforce-ment, variances and boards of adjustments.
Growth Policy Track—Meadowlark Room
Helena Valley Area Plan
Greg McNally
Andrew Hagemeier, AICP
The Helena Valley in Lewis and Clark County has been one of the fastest growing unincorporated areas in the State. Today, the population in the once rural area is equal to that of the City of Helena. Past growth rates indicate 6 out of every 10 new people to the County moved into this suburbanizing area. Conservative projections indicate 10,000 more people will come to the Helena Valley in the next two decades. As a result, areas in the Helena Valley are running out of water, resources are not available to maintain the roads, fire protection is insufficient and flooding has caused millions in damages. The County has undertaken an ambitious rewrite of its 2004 growth policy, focusing spe-cially on the constraints to development. This plan’s priority is on implementation. By developing strategies specifical-ly to address the identified constraints, the plan’s focus is clear. Through a combination of infrastructure improve-ments, density controls, performance standards, and education, the County hopes to guide growth into areas where it can be accommodated, and encourage appropriate levels of development according to the constraints.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room—Ponderosa Room
The Montana Headwaters Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project
Dennis Glick
The Montana Headwaters Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project (MHAMRP) is a coalition of public and private partners coordinating and implementing a regional abandoned mine reclamation initiative that is meant to restore degraded landscapes, improve water quality, address human and ecological health and safety issues, and create jobs for rural communities.
The MHAMRP is fortunate to have the Madison and Jefferson County Commission’s leading a coalition of conservation organizations, independent miners, the mining industry, and environmental scientists, with the support of state and federal agencies. The objective of the MHAMRP is to aid in the development of plans for reclaiming high priority abandoned mines in southwestern Montana, and when economically feasible, reprocess mine wastes to extract gold. This effort will not only accomplish environmental and economic devel-opment goals, but it is also designed to generate additional funding for expanded cleanup efforts in areas where repro-cessing and reclamation are currently occurring. Ultimately, the goal of the MHAMRP is to increase the level of mine reclamation and watershed restoration through the reprocessing of precious metals from historic mine waste rock and tailings.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Four Counties, One River
Jen Boyer
Collaboration is not easy business. It takes time, dedication, a shared vision and resources to sustain the effort. But, collaboration is worth the effort and can produce outcomes otherwise unattainable. Madison, Beaverhead, Anaconda-Deerlodge, and Butte-Silver Bow Counties in partnership with the Big Hole Watershed Committee, Future West, De-partment of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and community members were able to envision, support and execute a 116 mile floodplain mapping project. The maps provide a platform for floodplain management along the Big Hole River and a new state approved approach for mapping Approximate Zone A floodplains. This collaborative project provides useful lessons for complex partnerships and sensitive issues
4:00 PM
Durant Canyon Bike Ride
Chad Lanes
Departs from Fairmont Hot Springs
Join Chad Lanes on the 13-mile Durant Canyon Bicycle Ride. The loop ride, best for intermediate or better bike riders, begins and ends at Fairmont Hot springs Resort. The ride is about a total of 1000 feet climbing, but there is one diffi-cult road climb on the way to the trailhead. There are a couple somewhat technical rocky sections on the trail down that can be walked if necessary. Bring regular cycling equipment (cycling shorts and jersey, at least a wind/rain jacket and a helmet) and if possible, a spare tube and pump in case of a pinch flat. Check out https://connect.garmin.com/activity/752528025 for more information.
4:45 PM—5:30 PM
Planning 101 Roundtable—Sapphire Room
An opportunity for new (and new to the state) planners to meet with the Planning 101 Instructors and other “veteran” planning and community development professionals.
5:30 PM—8:45 PM
Opening Reception—Old Works Golf Course, 1205 Pizzini Way, Anaconda
What more fitting site for the opening reception than the Old Golf Works in Anaconda! Built on the site of Anaconda’s historic century old copper smelter, the Jack Nicklaus Signature course is the first ever built in an EPA Superfund Site. Meet old friends and make new ones while enjoying having heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks at the Clubhouse.
Buses will leave Fairmont at 5:00 and 5:45, with return times of 7:30, 8:15 and 8:45.
Tuesday September 29th
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Institutional Controls Panel (Session 1)
Daniel M. Norderud, AICP
Doug Clark
Elizabeth Erickson
Jay Slocum
Featuring :
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund Site: Implementing Institutional Controls through a County-wide Develop-ment Permit System
In 1992, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County implemented an institutional controls program through the development and adoption of a Development Permit System that combined the County’s zoning regulations and institutional control standards into a combined development review and permitting system known today as the County DPS. In the ensuing years the County grappled significantly with the challenges and implications of implementing this hybridized code sys-tem in a consistent, efficient, and ultimately, effective manner. However, in the past 5-8 years, with the support of ap-propriate technical service contractors the County has taken tremendous steps towards creating an implementation program and process that partners the County Planning Department with specialized institutional controls Staff. To-gether planning staff and the ICs staff have developed a tightly integrated collaborative relationship that has standard-ized the review and approval process that meets the County’s obligations in regards to zoning standards and superfund obligations for all activities related to development and/or dirt moving activities in throughout the County.
East Helena Smelter Superfund Site: A Small Town’s Experience with Institutional Controls
Although much of the cleanup has been finished at the East Helena Smelter Superfund Site, residual levels of lead and other contaminants still remain in place within the City and on adjoining lands in Lewis and Clark County and Jefferson County. As a result, the EPA concluded Institutional Controls (ICs) are a necessary component of the final remedial ac-tion for all lands within the Superfund Site. In 2011, RPA was hired by the City of East Helena to help identify and imple-ment appropriate types of Institutional Controls (ICs) on City lands. RPA worked closely with staff from the EPA, Mon-tana DEQ, Lewis and Clark County, and Jefferson County to the framework of an IC Program for the Superfund Site. As part of this effort, RPA recommended modifications to the City’s existing regulations, permits, policies, and programs. Recommendations focused on simple and cost-effective measures the City could implement as part of the ICs Program and support past and ongoing cleanup actions.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Panel: Building Active Communities – A unique collaboration to improve public health and the built environment
Roger Millar, AICP
Jason Karp
Melinda Barnes
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
10:15 AM—11:45 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
All Growth Policies Are Not Created Equal: Case Studies
Monica Plecker
Brent Moore, AICP
CTA will use several growth policies as case studies, addressing appropriate scale to community size and characteris-tics. Brent and Monica will facilitate a discussion on why various elements are sometimes included and sometimes not included. All growth policies are not created equal. They will discuss the importance of succinct and understandable policies that can be directly implemented. Using case studies like Jordan, Carbon County and the City of Laurel, they will highlight importance of public involvement and relationship of growth policies to other planning tools.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Institutional Controls Panel (Session 2)
Daniel M. Norderud, AICP
Doug Clark
Elizabeth Erickson
Jay Slocum
Featuring :
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund Site: Implementing Institutional Controls through a County-wide Develop-ment Permit System
In 1992, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County implemented an institutional controls program through the development and adoption of a Development Permit System that combined the County’s zoning regulations and institutional control standards into a combined development review and permitting system known today as the County DPS. In the ensuing years the County grappled significantly with the challenges and implications of implementing this hybridized code sys-tem in a consistent, efficient, and ultimately, effective manner. However, in the past 5-8 years, with the support of ap-propriate technical service contractors the County has taken tremendous steps towards creating an implementation program and process that partners the County Planning Department with specialized institutional controls Staff. To-gether planning staff and the ICs staff have developed a tightly integrated collaborative relationship that has standard-ized the review and approval process that meets the County’s obligations in regards to zoning standards and superfund obligations for all activities related to development and/or dirt moving activities in throughout the County.
East Helena Smelter Superfund Site: A Small Town’s Experience with Institutional Controls
Although much of the cleanup has been finished at the East Helena Smelter Superfund Site, residual levels of lead and other contaminants still remain in place within the City and on adjoining lands in Lewis and Clark County and Jefferson County. As a result, the EPA concluded Institutional Controls (ICs) are a necessary component of the final remedial ac-tion for all lands within the Superfund Site. In 2011, RPA was hired by the City of East Helena to help identify and imple-ment appropriate types of Institutional Controls (ICs) on City lands. RPA worked closely with staff from the EPA, Mon-tana DEQ, Lewis and Clark County, and Jefferson County to the framework of an IC Program for the Superfund Site. As part of this effort, RPA recommended modifications to the City’s existing regulations, permits, policies, and programs. Recommendations focused on simple and cost-effective measures the City could implement as part of the ICs Program and support past and ongoing cleanup actions.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Opportunities for Economic Development and Planning
Warren Vaughan
Planning and Community Development are both very big tents, but we often run the risk of thinking narrowly about what constitutes our discipline. This session will discuss several experiments in cross-sector collaboration that have been taking place in Bozeman and Gallatin County that blur the lines between planning, community development, and economic development.
12:00—1:15 PM
Lunch - Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Keynote Speaker—Marilyn Ross, Chairman of the Montana Natural Heritage Commission
“Rediscovering the Treasure State: Planning and Revitalization for Future Generations”
1:30 PM—3:00 PM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
The Convergence of Land Use and Transportation Planning in Richland County, Montana
John How, AICP
Facing immense growth pressures from energy extraction within the Williston Basin, Richland County embarked on a joint process to update the County’s Growth Policy while creating a new Transportation Plan. The Growth Policy en-compassed the County but also included separate policies for the City of Sidney and Town of Fairview. Because several residents and planning board members did not have access to GIS, maps were created to be displayed in Google Earth. In addition, road profiles, land use maps and future functional class maps were created specifically with development and developers in mind to assure that proper development would occur throughout all three jurisdictions. Learn how all three jurisdictions coordinated their plans to analyze extraterritorial zoning, overlay zoning in non-jurisdictional are-as and how each community created its specific parks and trails network.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Historic Preservation Through the Superfund Process
Mary McCormick
Mitzi Rossillon
Superfund cleanup is never a tidy task especially when hazards are also important relics of the past. Such is the case with the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District, an immense and complex landscape of industrial, com-mercial, and residential resources shaped by world-class mining and milling operations during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While mine shafts, waste rock dumps, smelter works, tailings and other industrial features contributed significantly to the Landmark District’s exceptional values in mining and labor history, they were serious threats to health and human safety. This discussion by Mary McCormick and Mitzi Rossillon will detail the Landmark District and its history and explore the role of historic preservation in the Butte-Anaconda Superfund process.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Fort William Harrison Joint Land Use Study
Nicole Brown
Laura Erickson
Lieutenant Colonel James Hesterberg
Lucy Morell-Gengler
The Fort Harrison (FH) and Limestone Hills Training Area (LHTA) Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) was a collaborative effort between Lewis & Clark County, Broadwater County, the City of Helena, the City of Townsend, Montana National Guard, state & federal agencies and property owners. The intent of this planning effort was to establish an on-going relation-ship between Fort Harrison, Limestone Hills Training Area and neighboring communities. The compilation of the JLUS took approximately 1.5 years of meetings, touring facilities and identifying each entity’s interests. All parties involved have an interest in promoting collaborative planning between the military, local jurisdictions and stakeholders in order to ensure a consistent approach in addressing compatibility issues. The general public was instrumental in the devel-opment of the JLUS through their participation in public meetings, workshops and the utilization of the interactive web-site. Once the JLUS was complete, a smaller team was assembled to begin implementation of action items addressed through the study. That team consists of representatives from Lewis & Clark County, Broadwater County, Fort Harri-son, City of Helena and the MT National Guard. These individuals are tasked with ensuring that collaboration and plan-ning continues as they move forward with implementation.
3:15 PM—4:45 PM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
Form and Performance Based Approaches to Planning
Anindita Mitra, AICP
Land use still remains one of the central means for planners to influence the growth of a city. Unfortunately, using the tenets of single use zoning has created cities that are unsustainable and mandate a costly lifestyle. It has also decimat-ed the small business sector. There are alternatives to developing single use land use plans that are supported by growth management laws. This presentation will illustrate the benefits of a form and performance based approach to land use that is flexible yet comprehensive, versus one that is strictly based on the building use and site placement. This level of flexibility is attractive to developers and entrepreneurs and eases the permit review process.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - BUS TOUR
Superfund Site Tour (limited to 42)
Charlie Coleman
The Anaconda tour will visit the Anaconda Smelter stack, the largest free standing masonry structure in the world, and to see ongoing remediation activities. Next the tour will head to Opportunity to visit the Beaver Dam Park where cleanup activities and redevelopment were coordinated to revitalize the community park. Next the tour will access the Opportunity Ponds to visit the remediation design for waste closure, and ecological enhancement. And lastly the tour stops at the Old Work Golf Course to visit remedy/development project design by Jack Nicklaus. Along the way, many other projects where Superfund cleanup and redevelopment were coordinated will be pointed out.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Beyond Subdivision Review – How Planners and DEQ Work Together
Barbara Kingery
Paul Nicol
Brent Moore, AICP
This session is intended to be a roundtable discussion focusing on the working relationships between the DEQ and vari-ous local planning jurisdictions. The intent is to facilitate a discussion to better understand future opportunities for supporting the work we do as local planners in relationship to the work the DEQ does, particularly with regards to sub-division review and capacity of local governments to manage growth.
4:15 PM—5:15 PM
Tax Increment Financing Roundtable - Lounge
The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Roundtable and no host cocktail gathering in the LOUNGE from 4:15 to 5:15. The gathering, will provide an opportunity for those of us who work with TIF and TIF districts to discuss issues of concern, share ideas and establish new connections with our counterparts across the state.
Discussion topics that have been suggested include:
Workforce education – a key component in attracting secondary value-adding businesses
Legislative challenges – how do we provide consistent, correct information to our legislators about TIF and its ben-efits to the state
Projects and Programs - Successes and Failures – What models can we share?
5:30 PM– 9:00 PM
Dinner and MAP Awards Ceremony—Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Dinner Speaker, Charlie Coleman, EPA
Charlie Coleman, EPA will speak at the dinner. Following dinner the MAP Awards will be presented
Wednesday September 30th
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
New Urban Design Tools, Hands On Ideas to Bring Back to Participants’ Jurisdictions
Anindita Mitra, AICP
Towns and cities that want to create a cohesive, attractive urban environments have important choices to make. Plan-ners have a number of tools at their disposal to influence how buildings are designed and how the street environment is constructed. These include zoning standards, design guidelines, streetscape standards and form-based codes. Each tool comes with both benefits and limitations and it can be confusing to select one over the other. In addressing these shortcomings, CREÄ Affiliates has developed a new urban design tool that is based on the best of the other tools. This is based on the tenets of environmental psychology and research. It incorporates the science of how the built environ-ment is perceived. Simple (2-3 pages for a sub-district), inexpensive, and easily assimilated and tracked, this technology allows for fine-grained variations in standards that can create varied sub-district character within larger land use cate-gories. It also allows for the flexibility of molding building design to respond to the character of neighboring streets and views, irrespective of the building use. These can also easily incorporate green building and low-impact design solu-tions. Most importantly, this technology can be tailored to strengthen the unique character of a town and offer an attractive alternative to an overlay district.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Part 1: Climate and Local Planning / Part 2: Accessing Montana Climate Data Resources
Michael Sweet
Part 1: Local authorities are in a good position to identify the social and economic vulnerabilities associated with the variability of a changing climate. Coping with the challenge of variability in climate is a daunting task for many Montan-ans, who must ultimately make choices that balance risks and costs. Effective local plans can enable communities to be proactive in both mitigating and adapting to climate impacts by understanding climate variability, uncertainty, and lev-eraging existing information. This presentation will introduce the Montana Climate Office and provide examples of lo-cal planning approaches that address climate impacts.
Part 2: The Montana Climate Office is an independent state-designated body that provides Montanans with high-quality, timely, relevant, and scientifically-based climate information and services. In August 2013 the State Library Commission (MCA 90-1-413) approved Climate as an official Montana Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) layer and iden-tified the Montana Climate Office as the official state steward. This presentation will walk attendees through the core climate framework datasets, how to access and utilize the datasets, and some recent examples of how these datasets have been applied to answer management questions in Montana. The climate datasets include station data, tempera-ture, precipitation, and satellite-derived products.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Collaboration and the Flathead National Forest Plan
Joe Kruger
The Flathead National Forest (nearly 2.4 million acres) is revising its Land and Resource Management Plan (referred to as the "revised forest plan") in compliance with the 2012 Planning Rule for the National Forest System. The need for the proposed action is twofold: 1) significant changes have occurred in conditions and demands since the Flathead’s 1986 Forest Plan and 2) to ensure the adequacy of regulatory mechanisms regarding habitat protection across the na-tional forests in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in support of the de-listing of the grizzly bear. The Flathead National Forest is incorporating relevant direction from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy (GBCS) as part of its plan revision process as well as amending the Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, Helena, and Lolo National Forest plans to include these adequate regulatory mechanisms. Collaboration is a major component of this revision, with many different groups involved on many different levels, with comments being received from over 20,000 people. Joe
10:15 AM to 11:45 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
Enhancing Montana Growth Policy Planning with Web and Mobile Maps and Apps
Ken Wall
We’ll show you real world Montana examples of ArcGIS Online maps and apps for planners to apply state-of-the-art geodesign to growth policy planning processes. Have you ever prepared a planning map, mounted on an easel at a public meeting, and everybody squints to see all the spatial data crammed on it? Have you had stakeholders put sticky notes or dots on paper maps, or provided input with markers, and then had to laboriously transcribe and organize that data? Those days are gone, or should be, as ArcGIS Online is already available to most Montana planners, and it is easy enough to use now that everyone in the organization can make and use web and mobile maps and apps. Simple Geoforms, and custom web application templates will do all of the above and save you a ton of work. You don’t have to be a programmer; it is like putting together Legos. Do your analysis right in Microsoft Excel with a new Esri Maps toolbar built in. We will demonstrate the process and some of the exciting tools like GeoPlanner for scenario compari-son and geo-sketching. Bring your growth policies into the 21st century…there’s an app for that.
General Session—Ponderosa / Sapphire Rooms
Legislative Update
Anne Cossitt, AICP
Hollie Lund
Nick Kaufman
Kelly Lynch
This Session will involve a panel discussion on the 2015 Legislative Session as it relates to Land Use and Community Planning issues. The session will focus on legislation that was made law in zoning, subdivision, annexation and other areas, but also will note some of the bills that did not pass but may be topics in the Interim and in the 2017 Session. Discussion also will address how legislative changes will affect planners throughout the State and there will be time for questions and audience discussion.
Legislative Roundtable
Immediately following the legislative update, the panel will lead a discussion to provide direction to the legislative
11:45 AM
Lunch - Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Patty Gude from Headwaters Economic will be providing an update on housing trends across Montana
MAP Membership Meeting
50/50 raffle
Basket raffle
8:30 AM—10:00 AM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Introduction and Value of Planning/ Constitution 101
Robert Horne, Jr., AICP
The rationale and basis for planning with a focus of the rights and responsibilities that a government must balance in land use regulation; including notice, due process, good of the whole, and restraint of rights. The session will also in-clude a review of the statutory rules and responsibilities of a planning board, including creating work plans, budgets, staffing, public hearings, and general discussion on the legal concepts of planning.
10:15 AM—11:45 AM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Growth Policies & State Law
Janet Cornish
This session will provide information and overview of growth policy preparation and implementation in Montana. This critical element of community planning provides the context and enabling language for creating local land use laws and development programs for assisting communities in achieving goals and objectives.
General Session— Meadowlark Room
Planning Ethics
Wyeth Friday, AICP
Dianna Broadie, AICP
Dave DeGrandpre, AICP
This session is based on the Ethics Training Toolkit published by APA and AICP and is intended to provide practical eth-ics training to Montana planners. The presenters and attendees will explore real-life sticky situations and conceptual scenarios where planners have to figure out the best approach to dealing with them. Attendees will be invited to pre-sent their own experiences with ethical dilemmas, viewing the situations through the lens of the AICP Code of Ethics.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
National Heritage Areas – The Ultimate Community-based Collaborative Effort
Jim Jarvis
Since the late-1980s, almost fifty National Heritage Areas (NHAs) have been created throughout the country to help communities protect, develop and promote their local heritage. Originally envisioned as a "new kind of national park" that married community-driven preservation, conservation, recreation, education, and economic development efforts, the benefits of heritage areas are as varied as the resources they represent. The resulting heritage tourism-based eco-nomic activity helps ensure that these unique, unified, and vibrant places survive for the enjoyment of future genera-tions. Previous efforts to create a National Heritage Area in and around Butte and Anaconda have been unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. Jim will explore the history of these efforts, examine obstacles and challenges, present case studies from other NHAs, and encourage one more collaborative effort to tell the story of Montana’s industrialized cop-per mining and smelting industry.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Resiliency Planning in Montana
Allison Mouch, AICP
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
12:00 PM—1:15 PM
Lunch—Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Planning Law Update
Kelly Lynch
Kelly Lynch, Community Development Division Administrator, Montana Department of Commerce, will provide a sum-mary of land use and planning cases from the previous year (2014-2015) from the Montana Supreme Court and state district courts, the 9th Circuit, and Montana federal district courts, and the US Supreme Court. The presentation will relate new case decisions to existing Montana statute and previous case law, describe how the cases will apply to daily government agency planning work, and make suggestions, as necessary, for changes to local planning regulations and ordinances.
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 – Subdivision Regulation & Review
Wyeth Friday, AICP
An overview of the basic purposes of subdivision review, the state statutory requirements, local regulations and review procedures, and the effects of recent legislation.
Growth Policy Track—Meadowlark Room
Community Voice and Engagement in Our Missoula: The City of Missoula’s Growth Policy Project
Laval Means, AICP
Tom Zavitz, AICP
In the spring of 2014, City of Missoula planners began the process of writing a new growth policy. With public partici-pation the highest priority, Development Services began an extensive outreach program to engage community mem-bers in a meaningful way. The program included numerous opportunities for staff to hear firsthand from the public about their visions and concerns for Missoula while enabling citizens to be informed and educated about the planning process. Outreach ranged from open houses and community presentations to event tables to digital interactive oppor-tunities and beyond. Learn how the City of Missoula’s planning division conducted the outreach process and is trans-forming the feedback received into development policy for the future.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Silver Bow Greenway—A Partnership to Success
Dori Skrukrud, MLA
Silver Bow Creek extends from Butte approximately 22 miles to the Warm Springs Ponds, the headwaters of the Clark Fork River. Since the late 1880’s, tailings and other mine wastes containing high concentrations of metals were discharged directly to Silver Bow Creek and redistributed through a massive flood in 1908 and other events. These toxic discharges impacted the stream and floodplain with heavy metals and virtually eliminated aquatic life in the stream. Tailings deposited in the floodplain are toxic to plants and resulted in a floodplain that was largely devoid of vegetation and generally incapable of supporting wildlife.
The cleanup of Silver Bow Creek has been ongoing since 1999 as part of a Superfund remedial action coordinated by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In 2000, the Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) and the Greenway Service District (GSD) formed a partnership with DEQ, bringing a res-toration component to the project, driven by community input, that goes beyond the cleanup and has transformed the creek from a severely injured, nearly lifeless stream to an ecosystem that is recovering its original character and value and providing recrea-tional use to citizens and visitors alike.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Devils Kitchen Management Team
Chase Hibbard
Bill Long
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
3:15 PM—4:45 PM
Planning 101 Track—Sapphire Room
Planning 101 - Zoning
Chris Saunders, AICP
An overview of the purpose of zoning, various types of zoning, state statutory requirements, implementation, enforce-ment, variances and boards of adjustments.
Growth Policy Track—Meadowlark Room
Helena Valley Area Plan
Greg McNally
Andrew Hagemeier, AICP
The Helena Valley in Lewis and Clark County has been one of the fastest growing unincorporated areas in the State. Today, the population in the once rural area is equal to that of the City of Helena. Past growth rates indicate 6 out of every 10 new people to the County moved into this suburbanizing area. Conservative projections indicate 10,000 more people will come to the Helena Valley in the next two decades. As a result, areas in the Helena Valley are running out of water, resources are not available to maintain the roads, fire protection is insufficient and flooding has caused millions in damages. The County has undertaken an ambitious rewrite of its 2004 growth policy, focusing spe-cially on the constraints to development. This plan’s priority is on implementation. By developing strategies specifical-ly to address the identified constraints, the plan’s focus is clear. Through a combination of infrastructure improve-ments, density controls, performance standards, and education, the County hopes to guide growth into areas where it can be accommodated, and encourage appropriate levels of development according to the constraints.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room—Ponderosa Room
The Montana Headwaters Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project
Dennis Glick
The Montana Headwaters Abandoned Mine Reclamation Project (MHAMRP) is a coalition of public and private partners coordinating and implementing a regional abandoned mine reclamation initiative that is meant to restore degraded landscapes, improve water quality, address human and ecological health and safety issues, and create jobs for rural communities.
The MHAMRP is fortunate to have the Madison and Jefferson County Commission’s leading a coalition of conservation organizations, independent miners, the mining industry, and environmental scientists, with the support of state and federal agencies. The objective of the MHAMRP is to aid in the development of plans for reclaiming high priority abandoned mines in southwestern Montana, and when economically feasible, reprocess mine wastes to extract gold. This effort will not only accomplish environmental and economic devel-opment goals, but it is also designed to generate additional funding for expanded cleanup efforts in areas where repro-cessing and reclamation are currently occurring. Ultimately, the goal of the MHAMRP is to increase the level of mine reclamation and watershed restoration through the reprocessing of precious metals from historic mine waste rock and tailings.
Collaboration Track—Bitterroot Room
Four Counties, One River
Jen Boyer
Collaboration is not easy business. It takes time, dedication, a shared vision and resources to sustain the effort. But, collaboration is worth the effort and can produce outcomes otherwise unattainable. Madison, Beaverhead, Anaconda-Deerlodge, and Butte-Silver Bow Counties in partnership with the Big Hole Watershed Committee, Future West, De-partment of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and community members were able to envision, support and execute a 116 mile floodplain mapping project. The maps provide a platform for floodplain management along the Big Hole River and a new state approved approach for mapping Approximate Zone A floodplains. This collaborative project provides useful lessons for complex partnerships and sensitive issues
4:00 PM
Durant Canyon Bike Ride
Chad Lanes
Departs from Fairmont Hot Springs
Join Chad Lanes on the 13-mile Durant Canyon Bicycle Ride. The loop ride, best for intermediate or better bike riders, begins and ends at Fairmont Hot springs Resort. The ride is about a total of 1000 feet climbing, but there is one diffi-cult road climb on the way to the trailhead. There are a couple somewhat technical rocky sections on the trail down that can be walked if necessary. Bring regular cycling equipment (cycling shorts and jersey, at least a wind/rain jacket and a helmet) and if possible, a spare tube and pump in case of a pinch flat. Check out https://connect.garmin.com/activity/752528025 for more information.
4:45 PM—5:30 PM
Planning 101 Roundtable—Sapphire Room
An opportunity for new (and new to the state) planners to meet with the Planning 101 Instructors and other “veteran” planning and community development professionals.
5:30 PM—8:45 PM
Opening Reception—Old Works Golf Course, 1205 Pizzini Way, Anaconda
What more fitting site for the opening reception than the Old Golf Works in Anaconda! Built on the site of Anaconda’s historic century old copper smelter, the Jack Nicklaus Signature course is the first ever built in an EPA Superfund Site. Meet old friends and make new ones while enjoying having heavy hors d'oeuvres and drinks at the Clubhouse.
Buses will leave Fairmont at 5:00 and 5:45, with return times of 7:30, 8:15 and 8:45.
Tuesday September 29th
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Institutional Controls Panel (Session 1)
Daniel M. Norderud, AICP
Doug Clark
Elizabeth Erickson
Jay Slocum
Featuring :
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund Site: Implementing Institutional Controls through a County-wide Develop-ment Permit System
In 1992, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County implemented an institutional controls program through the development and adoption of a Development Permit System that combined the County’s zoning regulations and institutional control standards into a combined development review and permitting system known today as the County DPS. In the ensuing years the County grappled significantly with the challenges and implications of implementing this hybridized code sys-tem in a consistent, efficient, and ultimately, effective manner. However, in the past 5-8 years, with the support of ap-propriate technical service contractors the County has taken tremendous steps towards creating an implementation program and process that partners the County Planning Department with specialized institutional controls Staff. To-gether planning staff and the ICs staff have developed a tightly integrated collaborative relationship that has standard-ized the review and approval process that meets the County’s obligations in regards to zoning standards and superfund obligations for all activities related to development and/or dirt moving activities in throughout the County.
East Helena Smelter Superfund Site: A Small Town’s Experience with Institutional Controls
Although much of the cleanup has been finished at the East Helena Smelter Superfund Site, residual levels of lead and other contaminants still remain in place within the City and on adjoining lands in Lewis and Clark County and Jefferson County. As a result, the EPA concluded Institutional Controls (ICs) are a necessary component of the final remedial ac-tion for all lands within the Superfund Site. In 2011, RPA was hired by the City of East Helena to help identify and imple-ment appropriate types of Institutional Controls (ICs) on City lands. RPA worked closely with staff from the EPA, Mon-tana DEQ, Lewis and Clark County, and Jefferson County to the framework of an IC Program for the Superfund Site. As part of this effort, RPA recommended modifications to the City’s existing regulations, permits, policies, and programs. Recommendations focused on simple and cost-effective measures the City could implement as part of the ICs Program and support past and ongoing cleanup actions.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Panel: Building Active Communities – A unique collaboration to improve public health and the built environment
Roger Millar, AICP
Jason Karp
Melinda Barnes
Over the last several years, the frequency and severity of natural disasters has increased across the nation. In Montana alone, the state has experienced at least one presidentially-declared disaster for each of the last five years. This new reality creates opportunities for communities across the state - and country - to rethink comprehensive planning efforts, formulating a more resilient approach toward community and economic development, public health and safety along with transportation planning efforts. In order to successfully plan within this framework, collaboration will need to take place between civic, ecological, social, and economic stakeholders, with community planners leading this inte-grated process. Engagement of a broader range of stakeholders not only creates consistency among separate, related planning efforts, but encourages community buy-in and understanding, identifying common ground between intended achievements and all possible outcomes. In this vein, public participation becomes increasingly important. This presen-tation will focus on the ways in which resilience planning can be incorporated into the existing planning processes cur-rently utilized by local governments throughout Montana, providing insight on local, state and federal resources to as-sist in these efforts, and facilitate a more collaborative approach overall.
10:15 AM—11:45 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
All Growth Policies Are Not Created Equal: Case Studies
Monica Plecker
Brent Moore, AICP
CTA will use several growth policies as case studies, addressing appropriate scale to community size and characteris-tics. Brent and Monica will facilitate a discussion on why various elements are sometimes included and sometimes not included. All growth policies are not created equal. They will discuss the importance of succinct and understandable policies that can be directly implemented. Using case studies like Jordan, Carbon County and the City of Laurel, they will highlight importance of public involvement and relationship of growth policies to other planning tools.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Institutional Controls Panel (Session 2)
Daniel M. Norderud, AICP
Doug Clark
Elizabeth Erickson
Jay Slocum
Featuring :
Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Superfund Site: Implementing Institutional Controls through a County-wide Develop-ment Permit System
In 1992, Anaconda-Deer Lodge County implemented an institutional controls program through the development and adoption of a Development Permit System that combined the County’s zoning regulations and institutional control standards into a combined development review and permitting system known today as the County DPS. In the ensuing years the County grappled significantly with the challenges and implications of implementing this hybridized code sys-tem in a consistent, efficient, and ultimately, effective manner. However, in the past 5-8 years, with the support of ap-propriate technical service contractors the County has taken tremendous steps towards creating an implementation program and process that partners the County Planning Department with specialized institutional controls Staff. To-gether planning staff and the ICs staff have developed a tightly integrated collaborative relationship that has standard-ized the review and approval process that meets the County’s obligations in regards to zoning standards and superfund obligations for all activities related to development and/or dirt moving activities in throughout the County.
East Helena Smelter Superfund Site: A Small Town’s Experience with Institutional Controls
Although much of the cleanup has been finished at the East Helena Smelter Superfund Site, residual levels of lead and other contaminants still remain in place within the City and on adjoining lands in Lewis and Clark County and Jefferson County. As a result, the EPA concluded Institutional Controls (ICs) are a necessary component of the final remedial ac-tion for all lands within the Superfund Site. In 2011, RPA was hired by the City of East Helena to help identify and imple-ment appropriate types of Institutional Controls (ICs) on City lands. RPA worked closely with staff from the EPA, Mon-tana DEQ, Lewis and Clark County, and Jefferson County to the framework of an IC Program for the Superfund Site. As part of this effort, RPA recommended modifications to the City’s existing regulations, permits, policies, and programs. Recommendations focused on simple and cost-effective measures the City could implement as part of the ICs Program and support past and ongoing cleanup actions.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Opportunities for Economic Development and Planning
Warren Vaughan
Planning and Community Development are both very big tents, but we often run the risk of thinking narrowly about what constitutes our discipline. This session will discuss several experiments in cross-sector collaboration that have been taking place in Bozeman and Gallatin County that blur the lines between planning, community development, and economic development.
12:00—1:15 PM
Lunch - Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Keynote Speaker—Marilyn Ross, Chairman of the Montana Natural Heritage Commission
“Rediscovering the Treasure State: Planning and Revitalization for Future Generations”
1:30 PM—3:00 PM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
The Convergence of Land Use and Transportation Planning in Richland County, Montana
John How, AICP
Facing immense growth pressures from energy extraction within the Williston Basin, Richland County embarked on a joint process to update the County’s Growth Policy while creating a new Transportation Plan. The Growth Policy en-compassed the County but also included separate policies for the City of Sidney and Town of Fairview. Because several residents and planning board members did not have access to GIS, maps were created to be displayed in Google Earth. In addition, road profiles, land use maps and future functional class maps were created specifically with development and developers in mind to assure that proper development would occur throughout all three jurisdictions. Learn how all three jurisdictions coordinated their plans to analyze extraterritorial zoning, overlay zoning in non-jurisdictional are-as and how each community created its specific parks and trails network.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Historic Preservation Through the Superfund Process
Mary McCormick
Mitzi Rossillon
Superfund cleanup is never a tidy task especially when hazards are also important relics of the past. Such is the case with the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District, an immense and complex landscape of industrial, com-mercial, and residential resources shaped by world-class mining and milling operations during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While mine shafts, waste rock dumps, smelter works, tailings and other industrial features contributed significantly to the Landmark District’s exceptional values in mining and labor history, they were serious threats to health and human safety. This discussion by Mary McCormick and Mitzi Rossillon will detail the Landmark District and its history and explore the role of historic preservation in the Butte-Anaconda Superfund process.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Fort William Harrison Joint Land Use Study
Nicole Brown
Laura Erickson
Lieutenant Colonel James Hesterberg
Lucy Morell-Gengler
The Fort Harrison (FH) and Limestone Hills Training Area (LHTA) Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) was a collaborative effort between Lewis & Clark County, Broadwater County, the City of Helena, the City of Townsend, Montana National Guard, state & federal agencies and property owners. The intent of this planning effort was to establish an on-going relation-ship between Fort Harrison, Limestone Hills Training Area and neighboring communities. The compilation of the JLUS took approximately 1.5 years of meetings, touring facilities and identifying each entity’s interests. All parties involved have an interest in promoting collaborative planning between the military, local jurisdictions and stakeholders in order to ensure a consistent approach in addressing compatibility issues. The general public was instrumental in the devel-opment of the JLUS through their participation in public meetings, workshops and the utilization of the interactive web-site. Once the JLUS was complete, a smaller team was assembled to begin implementation of action items addressed through the study. That team consists of representatives from Lewis & Clark County, Broadwater County, Fort Harri-son, City of Helena and the MT National Guard. These individuals are tasked with ensuring that collaboration and plan-ning continues as they move forward with implementation.
3:15 PM—4:45 PM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
Form and Performance Based Approaches to Planning
Anindita Mitra, AICP
Land use still remains one of the central means for planners to influence the growth of a city. Unfortunately, using the tenets of single use zoning has created cities that are unsustainable and mandate a costly lifestyle. It has also decimat-ed the small business sector. There are alternatives to developing single use land use plans that are supported by growth management laws. This presentation will illustrate the benefits of a form and performance based approach to land use that is flexible yet comprehensive, versus one that is strictly based on the building use and site placement. This level of flexibility is attractive to developers and entrepreneurs and eases the permit review process.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - BUS TOUR
Superfund Site Tour (limited to 42)
Charlie Coleman
The Anaconda tour will visit the Anaconda Smelter stack, the largest free standing masonry structure in the world, and to see ongoing remediation activities. Next the tour will head to Opportunity to visit the Beaver Dam Park where cleanup activities and redevelopment were coordinated to revitalize the community park. Next the tour will access the Opportunity Ponds to visit the remediation design for waste closure, and ecological enhancement. And lastly the tour stops at the Old Work Golf Course to visit remedy/development project design by Jack Nicklaus. Along the way, many other projects where Superfund cleanup and redevelopment were coordinated will be pointed out.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Beyond Subdivision Review – How Planners and DEQ Work Together
Barbara Kingery
Paul Nicol
Brent Moore, AICP
This session is intended to be a roundtable discussion focusing on the working relationships between the DEQ and vari-ous local planning jurisdictions. The intent is to facilitate a discussion to better understand future opportunities for supporting the work we do as local planners in relationship to the work the DEQ does, particularly with regards to sub-division review and capacity of local governments to manage growth.
4:15 PM—5:15 PM
Tax Increment Financing Roundtable - Lounge
The Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Roundtable and no host cocktail gathering in the LOUNGE from 4:15 to 5:15. The gathering, will provide an opportunity for those of us who work with TIF and TIF districts to discuss issues of concern, share ideas and establish new connections with our counterparts across the state.
Discussion topics that have been suggested include:
Workforce education – a key component in attracting secondary value-adding businesses
Legislative challenges – how do we provide consistent, correct information to our legislators about TIF and its ben-efits to the state
Projects and Programs - Successes and Failures – What models can we share?
5:30 PM– 9:00 PM
Dinner and MAP Awards Ceremony—Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Dinner Speaker, Charlie Coleman, EPA
Charlie Coleman, EPA will speak at the dinner. Following dinner the MAP Awards will be presented
Wednesday September 30th
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
New Urban Design Tools, Hands On Ideas to Bring Back to Participants’ Jurisdictions
Anindita Mitra, AICP
Towns and cities that want to create a cohesive, attractive urban environments have important choices to make. Plan-ners have a number of tools at their disposal to influence how buildings are designed and how the street environment is constructed. These include zoning standards, design guidelines, streetscape standards and form-based codes. Each tool comes with both benefits and limitations and it can be confusing to select one over the other. In addressing these shortcomings, CREÄ Affiliates has developed a new urban design tool that is based on the best of the other tools. This is based on the tenets of environmental psychology and research. It incorporates the science of how the built environ-ment is perceived. Simple (2-3 pages for a sub-district), inexpensive, and easily assimilated and tracked, this technology allows for fine-grained variations in standards that can create varied sub-district character within larger land use cate-gories. It also allows for the flexibility of molding building design to respond to the character of neighboring streets and views, irrespective of the building use. These can also easily incorporate green building and low-impact design solu-tions. Most importantly, this technology can be tailored to strengthen the unique character of a town and offer an attractive alternative to an overlay district.
Remediation, Restoration and Reuse Track - Ponderosa Room
Part 1: Climate and Local Planning / Part 2: Accessing Montana Climate Data Resources
Michael Sweet
Part 1: Local authorities are in a good position to identify the social and economic vulnerabilities associated with the variability of a changing climate. Coping with the challenge of variability in climate is a daunting task for many Montan-ans, who must ultimately make choices that balance risks and costs. Effective local plans can enable communities to be proactive in both mitigating and adapting to climate impacts by understanding climate variability, uncertainty, and lev-eraging existing information. This presentation will introduce the Montana Climate Office and provide examples of lo-cal planning approaches that address climate impacts.
Part 2: The Montana Climate Office is an independent state-designated body that provides Montanans with high-quality, timely, relevant, and scientifically-based climate information and services. In August 2013 the State Library Commission (MCA 90-1-413) approved Climate as an official Montana Spatial Data Infrastructure (MSDI) layer and iden-tified the Montana Climate Office as the official state steward. This presentation will walk attendees through the core climate framework datasets, how to access and utilize the datasets, and some recent examples of how these datasets have been applied to answer management questions in Montana. The climate datasets include station data, tempera-ture, precipitation, and satellite-derived products.
Collaboration Track - Bitterroot Room
Collaboration and the Flathead National Forest Plan
Joe Kruger
The Flathead National Forest (nearly 2.4 million acres) is revising its Land and Resource Management Plan (referred to as the "revised forest plan") in compliance with the 2012 Planning Rule for the National Forest System. The need for the proposed action is twofold: 1) significant changes have occurred in conditions and demands since the Flathead’s 1986 Forest Plan and 2) to ensure the adequacy of regulatory mechanisms regarding habitat protection across the na-tional forests in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE) in support of the de-listing of the grizzly bear. The Flathead National Forest is incorporating relevant direction from the NCDE Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy (GBCS) as part of its plan revision process as well as amending the Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, Helena, and Lolo National Forest plans to include these adequate regulatory mechanisms. Collaboration is a major component of this revision, with many different groups involved on many different levels, with comments being received from over 20,000 people. Joe
10:15 AM to 11:45 AM
Growth Policy Track - Meadowlark Room
Enhancing Montana Growth Policy Planning with Web and Mobile Maps and Apps
Ken Wall
We’ll show you real world Montana examples of ArcGIS Online maps and apps for planners to apply state-of-the-art geodesign to growth policy planning processes. Have you ever prepared a planning map, mounted on an easel at a public meeting, and everybody squints to see all the spatial data crammed on it? Have you had stakeholders put sticky notes or dots on paper maps, or provided input with markers, and then had to laboriously transcribe and organize that data? Those days are gone, or should be, as ArcGIS Online is already available to most Montana planners, and it is easy enough to use now that everyone in the organization can make and use web and mobile maps and apps. Simple Geoforms, and custom web application templates will do all of the above and save you a ton of work. You don’t have to be a programmer; it is like putting together Legos. Do your analysis right in Microsoft Excel with a new Esri Maps toolbar built in. We will demonstrate the process and some of the exciting tools like GeoPlanner for scenario compari-son and geo-sketching. Bring your growth policies into the 21st century…there’s an app for that.
General Session—Ponderosa / Sapphire Rooms
Legislative Update
Anne Cossitt, AICP
Hollie Lund
Nick Kaufman
Kelly Lynch
This Session will involve a panel discussion on the 2015 Legislative Session as it relates to Land Use and Community Planning issues. The session will focus on legislation that was made law in zoning, subdivision, annexation and other areas, but also will note some of the bills that did not pass but may be topics in the Interim and in the 2017 Session. Discussion also will address how legislative changes will affect planners throughout the State and there will be time for questions and audience discussion.
Legislative Roundtable
Immediately following the legislative update, the panel will lead a discussion to provide direction to the legislative
11:45 AM
Lunch - Cutthroat / Grizzly Rooms
Patty Gude from Headwaters Economic will be providing an update on housing trends across Montana
MAP Membership Meeting
50/50 raffle
Basket raffle