Planning and Zoning Workshop | Video

Alex Hagan | 12/12/2012

Developers are coming to western North Dakota looking to build housing and new businesses. And with more infrastructure needs, that means more work for city and county planners.

"It`s basically been a fact that we`ve had to hit the road with our feet going is what`s happened," said Dunn County Commissioner Donna Scott.

Dunn County planners say they used to receive about five applications a year for re-zonings and plats, but now it`s nearly 200 a year.

"We used to have one girl that would do all the planning and zoning and she did about 10 hours a month. And now I currently was brought on board about a year ago and I`m a full time employee," said Dunn County Planning and Zoning Administrator Sandra Rohde.

That`s why Vision West North Dakota held workshops to teach administrators to develop strategies to keep up with development.

"They just haven`t has the need to make zoning decisions or to update their comprehensive plan and they`re just really struggling and they need some basic information about that," said Cindy Gray with SRF Consulting Group.

Consultants say now is the best time to learn those skills.

"If they know where they want to go, they can create that situation through land use regulations," said Gregg Greenquist with SRF Consulting Group.

Now that city and county planners have attended the workshop, they say they are better prepared for the future.

"It has given us new information regarding annexing between the city and the county," Scott said.

City and county leaders from Bowman, Dickinson, Watford City and Richardton attended the workshop.

Dunn County planners say their annual budget for planning and zoning in 2007 was around $3,000. Four years later, it jumped to nearly $70,000.

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