Park County planning board advances draft subdivision regulations, consultants outline 60‑day public comment plan

The Park County Planning Board on April 16 heard a presentation from Orion (hired through the state Community Technical Assistance Program) on a near‑final draft to update the county’s subdivision regulations and announced a 60‑day written public comment period followed by public hearings.

Dani Arps, who said she works for the Montana Department of Commerce’s Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP), told the board CTAP is funded through “House Bill 2. It is part of the state general budget. And every year, we get roughly $350,000,” and that CTAP supplies technical help at no direct cost to counties by contracting with on‑roster consultants.

Allison Mauck, managing partner of Orion, summarized the consulting team’s work and experience and said Orion has focused the draft on three priorities: update language to reflect current state law, simplify and reorganize the regulations so procedures and standards are easier to find, and create supplemental checklists and application materials to improve implementation and review.

“The 1st draft of the regs are pretty much ready for you,” Orion staff said during the presentation, adding the fire protection appendix and several supplements remained in progress but were expected soon. Planning staff (identified in the meeting as Mike) said the next steps are attorney review and then publication of the draft with a 60‑day written public comment period; after that, the planning board will hold a public hearing, review written and oral comments, and provide recommendations to the county commissioners, who will hold their own hearing before adopting the regulations by resolution.

Orion explained how the package is structured: a streamlined table of contents, a general provisions section that adds roles and responsibilities for staff, planning board and commissioners, a separate procedures section for application steps from pre‑application to final plat, a criteria section that isolates review standards, and a reduced exemptions section that primarily refers to state statute. Design and improvement standards (roads, access, water, wastewater, floodplain and parkland dedication) remain an important part of the draft but are reorganized and supplemented by checklists.

Planning staff and Orion emphasized state law limits on what the county can change. Staff said an administrative minor subdivision pathway created by recent legislation applies only in zoned areas that meet conditions (for example municipal water and sewer and other criteria), and that first‑minor processes remain exempt from public‑hearing notice under state statute. Several board members and a public commenter asked that the draft highlight statutory provisions so reviewers and the public could more easily distinguish what is required by state law versus what the county can modify.

Public commenters urged caution and stronger protections tied to local conditions. Ben Cochran of Friends of Clark County said, “Drought makes clear that subdivision regulations are not just about paperwork. They’re about whether growth in Park County is planned in a way that protects existing land owners, existing water users, and the taxpayers who end up carrying the cost of bad decisions.” Cochran urged regulations that examine water availability, protect working lands, reduce wildfire risk and steer growth to areas that can be served, and requested multiple opportunities for public comment.

Board members and members of the public also asked for outreach and plain‑language walk‑throughs of the draft—two‑hour or informal sessions where staff and consultants would explain the document and the comment process. Staff said they would plan presentations and advertised meetings to help people understand requirements and provide meaningful comments.

The presentation also highlighted a topic unrelated to the subdivision code draft that the county intends to address: the separate category for "buildings for lease or rent," which now captures RV parks and mobile home parks. Staff noted that reviews under that path currently lack statutory public‑notice and that the absence of a formal public‑notice process makes local review more subjective; board members discussed whether additional standards or a change in the review path is needed.

What happens next: staff expects attorney review, completion of the fire protection appendix and supplementary materials, then a public release of the draft with a 60‑day written comment period and at least one planning‑board public hearing. The planning board will consider written and oral comments and may recommend changes to the commission; the county commissioners will ultimately hold their own public hearing and adopt any amendments by resolution.

The board also approved routine February meeting minutes by motion earlier in the meeting and adjourned after final public comment.