What does a staff person do when a community decides that non-renewable groundwater wells are the solution for their water service needs? It creates an opportunity to be an empathetic public official that utilizes innovative approaches to solve problems, rather than act as an administrator that leans on regulations to put up roadblocks in response to community needs.

Issues arise when communities fail to keep updated inventory of their capital assets, overbuild or build without considering regional amenities, and neglect to consider or underestimate operations and maintenance costs. This article presents examples to illustrate some of the pitfalls in trying to manage capital assets and provides suggestions for rural towns.  

Meet Erick Aune, former President of the New Mexico chapter of the APA.

Housing has received a lot of attention from the Oregon legislature in recent years.  Senate Bill (SB) 1051 passed in 2017 and is currently being implemented by local governments.  It required residential permits for affordable housing to be issued in less time and directs cities to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) where single-family homes are allowed. In the current 2019 legislative session, three bills related to housing and how communities plan for housing appear to be gaining traction (and may be law by the time this article is published).

It's with great sadness that the Western Planner community announces the passing of Ken Waido. Ken was instrumental in the development of The Western Planner, serving as its first president after incorporation in 1989.

The Western Planner community mourns the passing of one of its early pillars. Larry Weil, a friend and at large board member from North Dakota, remembers Ken: an individual and character larger than life.

The Wasatch Front is a north-to-south urbanizing corridor, sandwiched between two natural features: the Wasatch Mountain Range and the Great Salt Lake (GSL). The GSL also supports millions of migratory birds annually, and is considered North America’s single most important interior wetland for birds by the National Audubon Society. Both developers and conservationists are striving to understand potential conflicts between these two, opposing land uses in the wildland-urban interface as the population continues to expand.

Housing affordability is one of the greatest challenges facing many communities in the western U.S.  Rising demand outpaces the supply of additional housing units, driving prices steeply upward.

For those planners whose professional mainstay is guiding the development of rural residential lots, pursuing the holy grail of an ordinance that can be universally applied across the expansive sea of the agricultural prairie can feel akin to throwing spaghetti at the wall. There is no definitive right way to go about it. But I offer you here the Morton County approach, as one policy perspective.

The City of Las Vegas has adopted the first Form-Based Code in the State of Nevada following two years of hard work, focused education of city staff, officials and local residents, and robust community engagement. This is a major step in implementing the city’s Vision 2045 Downtown Las Vegas Master Plan. City officials believe the new code will lead to a more compact, vibrant downtown and support sustainable growth and economic vitality. The enthusiastic reception of the new code is a result of an “educational and informed” approach which featured the Form-Based Code Institute’s (FBCI) comprehensive three-course curriculum on form-based codes.

For city and county planners it is important to consider appropriate locations for the placement of EV charging stations. For most, this task probably means looking at land-use classifications and making zoning interpretations. This article was originally published in the North Dakota Planning Association newsletter. by Will Hutchings, City of Bismarck, North Dakota

Sid Fox, AICP is the Planning Director for Carbon County in Wyoming. He started with Carbon County in the spring of 2010. The planning staff of three serves as the administrative support for the County Planning & Zoning Commission. Their main role is to implement the County Comprehensive Plan through administration of zoning and subdivision regulations.

Several North Dakota city planners discuss their zoning process for medical marijuana facilities. On April 18, 2017, a new North Dakota law became effective allowing for the production and processing, sale and dispensing of usable marijuana, and medical use of marijuana.

Daniel S. Pava, FAICP, gives the rundown on what contemporary voices from the Rocky Mountain West had to say at the 28th Annual Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute.

How can states like Nevada, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and others compete against their larger and more metropolitan neighbors in workforce attraction and retention? And then it hit me - baseball. by Aric A. Jensen, AICP

The 2019 Alaska Chapter of the American Planning Association State Planning Conference was a huge success. The following awards were presented and celebrated: Comprehensive Plan Award - Sitka 2030 Comprehensive Plan; Award for Planning Leadership - Planning Advocate of the Year—Sara Jansen; Award for Planning Team - Municipality of Anchorage Long-Range Planning Division; and Award for a Leader, Planner of the Year - John Czarnezki, Director of Economic Development and Planning for the City of Soldotna, AK. by Jon Cecil, AICP, Anchorage, AK

The Western Governors’ Association is launching an initiative in July 2019 to examine the challenges facing rural western communities and identify strategies to improve economic development opportunities, infrastructure, and quality of life in the rural West. WGA invites you to share your perspective to help shape the initiative.

The article is about the City of Phoenix, citizen groups, and the light rail expansion into South Phoenix where the design desires of citizens differ from project-funded design. On September 26, 2018, the Phoenix City Council voted to continue to move forward with the current two-lane design for the South Central Light Rail Extension. The vote followed a previous council decision, which requested Valley Metro look into a four-lane design and conduct extensive community outreach. by Joshua Matthews, AICP

Joy Hill has served as the Director of Planning and Zoning in Park County, Wyoming since June 2018. Prior to that, she was the Land Planner/GIS Manager for Big Horn County, Wyoming for six years.

Meet Angela Parker, AICP, CFM, who most recently served as president of the Western Planning Resources board which publishes the Western Planner. She has worked GIS projects in the areas Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska. Today she is the Land Planner/GIS Manager for Big Horn County, Wyoming.

Western wildfires in recent years demonstrate the urgency in which we need to adapt to fire in order to be more resilient in the communities we call home. This article describes what may be called the modern wildfire situation with some of the forces driving wildfire conditions today, resources, and a community example planners can use to participate in wildfire adaptation in their communities. by Christopher Jones, Globe, Arizona

Beginning in 2014, fast-rising rents and home prices in Boulder fueled a city-led communitywide housing conversation, Housing Boulder. As part of this conversation, cooperative housing was proposed as a tool to expand housing choice. Unlike elsewhere, the definition of cooperative housing in Boulder isn’t solely resident shareholders in a corporation that owns a building. It is a group living arrangement with consensus governance and shared responsibility and resources. by Crystal Launder and Sloane Walbert, AICP

Welcome to 2019! I begin the year as the not so new president of Western Planning Resources, the publisher of Western Planner, having served in this capacity several years ago. Many thanks to Angela Parker, our outgoing president, who has relocated from Alaska to Wyoming and remains on the board.

Dedicating his career to determining what makes cities thrive, planner Jeff Speck, AICP released his latest book "Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places." He recently answered three questions from the Western Planner.

The Rocky Mountain West is characterized as much by its vibrant and diverse communities as by its sweeping plains and rugged mountains. The annual Western Places/Western Spaces conference explores the social and development issues facing communities—from large cities to small towns—as well as concerns about managing and preserving our natural heritage. Join us March 7 & 8, 2019, as we explore these themes and more at the Western Places/Western Spaces — Designing for the Future: Building Enduring Value.

The local tiers of government in Cass County consist of the county, 27 incorporated cities, several additional unincorporated villages, 49 townships, and four water resource districts. This article, more specifically, will explore the role of the Cass County Planning Office and how it teams with the Townships. Republished courtesy the North Dakota Planning Association Newsletter. by Hali A Durand, Cass County, North Dakota

With over a decade of experience as a planner for the small maritime City of Blaine, Washington, Alex Wenger, AICP has designed and built several neighborhood parks and recreational facilities. Some of Alex’s favorite projects have been developing new public beaches and creating a new a nautical themed playground called the Marine Park Playground. Article republished courtesy of the Planning Association of Washington. by Alex Wenger, AICP