So, what is a master plan?
A master plan is a guiding document for decision makers that includes a vision for what kind of town Ennis wants to be and goals and strategies for how to achieve that vision. It includes topics like land use, transportation, housing, economic vitality, and community resiliency. Also included is a Future Land Use Plan developed through stakeholder and community input that acts as a roadmap for the future.
We want to hear from you!
It’s imperative that the community shape the vision for the future of Ennis. While we hope to see you at in-person engagement events soon, for public health reasons we will be focusing on digital engagement for the time being. Please engage below by taking a survey and/or sharing your big ideas!
KEY DATES
5-19-22: Final Plan Adoption
Project Steering Committee
A Steering Committee was formed to offer guidance throughout the planning process and act as a sounding board for the project. Community members were chosen by the Town to sit on the Committee who represented the following diverse organizations and sectors of the Town’s economy:
- Ennis Chamber of Commerce
- River guides/outfitters
- Madison Valley Medical Center
- Property management
- Downtown Business Owners
- Construction/building
- Lodging
- First Interstate Bank
RESOURCES
Master Plan Adopted
The 2022 Envision Ennis Master Plan was adopted by Town Council on May 19, 2022. You can read the final plan here: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:f23176b3-f8e5-322c-abda-14ac44712b60
Updated Draft for Review
Some revisions to the original Draft Plan have been made and here is the updated Draft for review: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:03f37f68-8b04-3e4e-8d70-4c104f752f69
Please submit any comments on the draft via the “Speak Up” tab on this website.
Master Plan Draft Available for Review
The Draft Envision Ennis Master Plan is available for public review: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:148cfcbb-6237-46ac-889a-32566600ebbe
Please submit any comments on the draft via the “Speak Up” tab on this website.
Public Meeting on Draft Plan October 13
Thank you to all who attended the public meeting to discuss the draft Master Plan! At the meeting, the consultant team presented some project recommendations, policy recommendations, a site plan with improvements to Main Street, and the draft Future Land Use Map. You can see the presentation slides here: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/review?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:0bf2f37c-dafe-498b-a916-80346013b564https://pdfhost.io/v/6enb6.ZF1_Ennis_Public_Meeting_2_Presentation_Slides_Final
First Virtual Public Meeting! [July 14, 2021]
Thank you to all who attended the Virtual Public Meeting last night! We had a great turnout of about 30 people on Zoom, 15 at the Library and 5 at the Senior Center. You can watch the recording here and see a copy of the slides here.
Here are some of the key issues that have initiated the need for a Master Plan that were presented at the meeting:
- People are moving to Montana and development pressure is increasing
- Tourism is increasing and putting strain on the Town’s infrastructure
- Second homeownership is increasing and more second homeowners are choosing to make Ennis their permanent home
- Land, housing and building costs are increasing
- The Town lacks funding/a sufficient tax base
- Big Sky is growing and this will contribute to the need for more workforce housing
Here is a summary of the input received from the meeting attendees:
A common theme was water and wastewater infrastructure and the capacity for growth. Many meeting attendees asked questions like “How do we prevent developments where homes all look alike?” and “what is the weakest “link” in controlled quality growth?”. It has been identified that the Town is not currently equipped to handle the development pressure that it is experiencing without a staff planner to review development applications and an outdated Land Use Code. The lack of design guidelines is also a concern, as there is no direction for developers on what the community would like new development to look like and nothing to prevent buildings that are out of character from being approved. Folks also asked questions about the Town’s annexation plans and how the Town could expand its boundaries to have a larger tax base to pay for public improvements. One attendee brought up the potential for a resort tax to provide a sustainable funding source for the Town which was an important part of the discussion.
Survey Results Available! [June 28, 2021]
Thank you to everyone who participated in the public survey! We got 152 total responses, you can view the results here: Ennis Master Plan Public Survey Results
Virtual Public Meeting Scheduled!
We hope you can attend our first Virtual Public Meeting on July 14th at 6pm.
We need your input on growth, housing, mobility, economics, environmental stewardship, community services, and more!
The meeting will be streamed at the Library and the Senior Center, or you can tune in at home!
In-person meetings this week! [May 24, 2021]
We hope you can attend our Library Listening Sessions this week! Thursday, May 27th at 6pm and Friday, May 28th at noon at the Madison Valley Library. We will be discussing the future of Ennis, what’s great about it now, and what improvements could be made!
Also, thank you to all who participated in our survey! We will post the results within the next week.
Welcome! [April 19, 2021]
Welcome to the Envision Ennis Master Plan web page! We are so excited to dive into this planning process and hear from you. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back often for project updates, event announcements, and draft plan elements for review! We will have both in-person and virtual opportunities to give input from April through October, 2021.
Information about events will be advertised at:
- The Library
- Town Hall
- on the project website and
- on the Town of Ennis Facebook Page.
We look forward to hearing from you!