Jefferson County’s new growth policy, a decision-making guide for land use, infrastructure and local services, will receive its final public review at the County Commission’s Aug. 12 meeting.
With the Commission’s review, the policy’s first full revision in 22 years will near completion. The county’s Planning Board has been working on the new policy since February 2024, with support from Helena-based consulting firm Great West Engineering.
Though not required by law, a growth policy is often a prerequisite for government or private grants — an increasingly important source of funding for the county. An up-to-date policy can provide legal back-up in the event of litigation from developers or development foes. It can also inform construction, zoning, and regulatory decisions.
The new document describes a county greatly changed since 2003: Its population up 25%, yet with unevenly distributed growth. The number of young adults and people aged 65 and over has increased much faster than other groups. Montana City and Clancy have grown quickly while areas like Elk Park and the Boulder Valley continue to be mostly agricultural.
The growth document details how housing prices have soared in many areas, and with them demand for roads, water, and solid waste disposal, as well as for quality schools, emergency medical care, libraries and other public services.
The updated growth plan calls on the county to “work to strengthen and diversify its economy,” promoting “responsible economic development” that creates livable-wage jobs and higher tax revenue by encouraging the development of a highly skilled and trained workforce, and providing needed infrastructure and services.
The policy also describes the need for “well maintained infrastructure,” including roads, bridges and equipment, and recommends updating the county’s Community Investment Plan — focusing specifically on the needs of water and sewer districts, fire protection and emergency medical services.
It encourages the use of conservation easements to protect agricultural lands and to identify opportunities to support landowner initiated zoning, which would provide property owners with greater flexibility in utilizing owned lands for commercial purposes.
The growth policy also seeks to encourage the commercial harvesting of timber on public and private lands, improve the county’s fire mitigation measures, and identify areas with minimum constraints and environmental impact for future residential and commercial development.
The new policy was originally anticipated to be complete by November 2024. An initial draft, due by April 2024 according to the original project timeline, did not appear until February of this year.
It was informed by a survey completed by 180 county residents, updated socioeconomic data and GIS mapping of land use and residential patterns. The Planning Department revised the draft in April based on feedback from three open houses.
