The McCall City Council directed staff to prepare and submit a formal letter of public comment to Valley County regarding the county's draft comprehensive plan and development code, and authorized the mayor to sign the letter.
Michelle Grunewelt, community and economic development director, reviewed the county's draft update and told the council staff view it as largely an "existing conditions" document with soft language and limited tools to implement growth management. She noted the county's development code uses a largely conditional-use approach rather than explicit zoning, and that the draft adds standards such as a 150-foot riparian overlay (with 50-foot residential and 100-foot other setbacks), driveway standards, stormwater BMP definitions, and additional fire-protection language.
Council members raised concerns that the draft plan lacks a public vision statement and detailed implementation tools, and that sweeping the former McCall impact-area rules into a single countywide code could reduce protections that previously applied to the McCall area. Councilors asked staff to recommend that the county either retain McCall-area standards through an overlay or adopt a more thorough rewrite with clear implementation measures.
Councilors also said the city should emphasize McCall's role as a regional population and employment center and highlight environmental risks to Payette Lake and surrounding areas if development standards weaken. Staff said it would prepare a draft letter, circulate it to council for comment by Tuesday (end of day), and aim to file comments a week before Valley County's planning hearing on Oct. 23.
The council voted unanimously to direct staff to produce the letter and to authorize the mayor to sign all necessary documents.