Growth Policy

The Growth Policy is a vision plan that sets forth the future path for the City. It helps the citizens of Red Lodge sustain and enhance their sense of place and spirit of community as growth occurs. Specifically, this plan provides policy guidance for the public investment in infrastructure and land use decisions that will determine the pattern and quality of future development. Great places attract

The Growth Policy is a vision plan that sets forth the future path for the City. It helps the citizens of Red Lodge sustain and enhance their sense of place and spirit of community as growth occurs. Specifically, this plan provides policy guidance for the land use decisions that will determine the pattern and quality of future development.

The Growth Policy can also be described as a comprehensive guide used to make decisions about the City’s future, specifically with regard to land use, infrastructure, and services. Essentially, a Growth Policy is a long-range plan, or “master plan”, intended to help guide new development and identify projects that need attention and financial investment. A Growth Policy is not a regulatory tool or document and cannot be used solely to make decisions on proposed land use projects or development. However, it is a requirement for administering land use regulations, such as zoning, subdivision regulations, etc.

The document will evaluate the City’s existing conditions and economy, identify trends, and provide realistic goals and actions to improve economic development, local services, public safety, housing, land use, natural resource protection, and other issues identified by residents.

Advantages of a Growth Policy:

• • Identifies the issues/opportunities facing the City.
  • Creates a common vision for the future of the community.
  • Identifies achievable goals, objectives, and projects that make the common vision a reality.
  • Provides a consistent framework for and reduces inconsistency in the decision-making process regarding the community’s future.
  • Provides the legal basis for creating, updating, or enforcing any regulations, such as zoning or subdivision regulations.
  • Increases the City’s competitiveness for limited State and federal grant funding to help cover costs associated with infrastructure and other large projects.

In conjunction with the Downtown Revitalization Plan Update, the City is also updating the Growth Policy through grant funding awarded by the Montana Department of Commerce. Although updated as recently as 2020, legislative changes to State statute warranted an update of this document, including updated goals, objectives, and action plan.

Upcoming Growth Policy Events:

May 2024 – Updated draft Growth Policy will be available

May-July 2024 – Public work sessions, facilitated by the Planning Board, will be conducted to refine the draft plan