Lochbuie Comprehensive Plan Update 2023 – 2024
So, what is a comprehensive plan?
A comprehensive plan is a guiding document for decision makers that includes a vision for what kind of place Lochbuie wants to be. It uses a framework of goals, strategies, and actions in order to achieve said vision. It includes topics like land use, transportation, housing, economic vitality, and community resiliency. Also included is a Future Land Use Map that more specifically identifies where and how Lochbuie might change over time.
We want to hear from you!
City and Resident input will inform the core of the final plan. Therefore we will be hosting various in-person and online engagement opportunities to collect community feedback. Please attend any of the events or leave any general comments below.
KEY DATES
Engagement Events:
OPEN HOUSE – February 22nd at Town Hall, 6 – 8pm
RESOURCES
TIMELINE
Lake Henry
Open House Summary [February, 2024]
We hosted our first Comprehensive Plan Open House on February 22nd at Town Hall, 6pm-8pm. The event was well attended with engaged residents that got to learn more about the project and react to some plan elements. Attached are the boards that were displayed as well as photos from the event and feedback we received. Click on the photos to enlarge them and scroll through each. This feedback will help refine our Lake Henry concept plan and help create our Future Land Use Map.
If you weren’t able to attend the event and still want to provide input, please click the “Provide Online Feedback” tab to view the illustrations and provide online comments.
Open House set for February 22nd [February, 2024]
The Town of Lochbuie invites the community to participate in the Comprehensive Plan Open House on February 22nd at Town Hall, 6pm-8pm.
Following several months of outreach on the Comprehensive Plan, this event will summarize major themes heard so far. During the Open House, the consultants will also be soliciting input regarding a preliminary concept plan for the Lake Henry property, as well as findings from an existing conditions analysis. This meeting will be a drop-in format, without a presentation.
Refreshments and snacks, as well as Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Community Survey Results [January, 2024]
Thank you for participating in our community survey! We received over 200 total responses from community members over the last 2 months. These slides summarize the surveys’ findings and key takeaways. Click on the slides to enlarge them and scroll through each question. This input will help guide the next phases of the Growth Policy Update.
Survey Officially Closed [November, 2023]
Our community surveys have officially closed. Over the past two months, we received 210 responses! Thank you to everyone who participated and we look forward to sharing the results with you soon.
Fall Festival Engagement [September, 2023]
On Saturday, September 16th, we participated in the annual Lochbuie Fall Festival! It was a beautiful day for conversation and engagement. Citizens provided feedback on various Comprehensive Plan topics and entered our free raffle. This feedback will help inform further discussion and community engagement events to come. Thanks to everyone who stopped to learn more about the project and provided valuable input. Our community survey remains open to the public so please take it if you haven’t already!
Take Our Survey [September, 2023]
We’ve officially released our community surveys for the Lochbuie Comprehensive Plan Update. This short survey is available in both English and Spanish. Please click the link to the corresponding survey and answer the questions honestly and to the best of your ability. This feedback will directly inform the goals and priorities for the Town of Lochbuie for years to come. The survey is also completely anonymous and takes under 5 minutes to complete!
Welcome! [July, 2023]
Welcome to the Lochbuie Comprehensive 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 in 2023 and 2024.
Information about events will be advertised at:
- Town of Locbuie website
- Town of Lochbuie Facebook
We look forward to hearing from you!
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!
Nicole Olmstead
Planner
Nora Bland
Project Planner
Dave Dixon
Senior Planner
Keith Walzak
Project Manager