The Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners is working with Big Sky Economic Development to address the request of several Lockwood property owners who want to have their property added to the Lockwood Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD), which was established in 2016. All the parcels/property owners petitioning for inclusion are within the original TEDD study area, and thus eligible for addition into the TEDD.

 

Potential expansion of the District requires the Planning Board to review the amended Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP). As part of that process, the Yellowstone County Board of Planning will conduct a public hearing on the CDP and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners that the CDP is in compliance with the 2016 Lockwood Growth Policy and the 2008 Yellowstone County and City of Billings Growth Policy. The Board will review and discuss the propsed expansion at this meeting and conduct a public hearing at its meeting on October 10.

The Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners is working with Big Sky Economic Development to address the request of several Lockwood property owners who want to have their property added to the Lockwood Targeted Economic Development District (TEDD), which was established in 2016. All the parcels petitioning for inclusion are within the original TEDD study area, and thus eligible for addition into the TEDD. This process has involved the expansion of the Unified Zoning Jurisdiction boundary to include all proposed additional parcels and zoning of the parcels added to the zoning jurisdiction. The Board of County Commissioners also passed Resolution 18-62, the Reaffirmation of Resolution of Necessity declaring an infrastructure deficiency in the Lockwood TEDD area. This resolution reaffirmed Resolution 15-22, adopted April 21, 2015.
 
The final step of this process is for the amended Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) to be approved and adopted by the Board of County Commissioners. As part of that process, the Yellowstone County Board of Planning will conduct a public hearing on the CDP and make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners that the CDP is in compliance with the 2016 Lockwood Growth Policy and the 2008 Yellowstone County and City of Billings Growth Policy. The Board will review the CDP and discuss the TEDD expansion at this meeting and conduct a public hearing and make a recommendation at its October 10 meeting.
 
The Board must review the applicable growth policies and determine they support the CDP for expansion of the TEDD for the following reasons:

• Existing conditions and future trends address economic well-being
• Goals and objectives support the development of secondary, value-adding industries
• Tax Increment Financing is identified as an implementation strategy, and
• Land use maps support zoning designations.

The 2016 Lockwood Growth Policy supports the CDP and the CDP Amendment for creation of the TEDD in the following areas:
 
Chapter 2, Lockwood Growth Guidelines, Page 4,  references that:

• “Industrial development may be located along existing and proposed transportation corridors north of the interstate.”
• “A Targeted Economic Development District may be used to foster secondary, value adding economic development. Properties within the general area of the TEDD may be initially zoned as agriculture with the intent to rezone to an industrial zoning district when and if the TEDD is implemented.”
• “Commercial retail and services may be considered appropriate in areas designated for industrial land uses along principal and minor arterials in addition to areas designated for commercial land uses.”

Chapter 3, Existing Conditions references:

• Land Use, page 8 – “The presence of the Exxon Refinery set the tone for more industrial types of uses or heavy commercial north of the interstate.”
• Zoning, page 9 – “Almost all of the area north of I-90 lies within a Heavy Industrial or Controlled Industrial Zone.”

Chapter 6, Implementation Tools and Strategies references many past studies of Lockwood and the 2008 Yellowstone County and City of Billings Growth Policy, referenced below, that all support and encourage further economic and infrastructure development in Lockwood to make it a more prosperous, safe, and attractive community for residences and businesses. Further, the CDP itself on page 13 references the goals of the Lockwood TEDD that mirror some of the same goals of the applicable growth policies, including fostering economic and employment opportunities within Yellowstone County and Lockwood; a planned industrial area in Lockwood that attracts industry and leads to additional private investment; implementing a development plan that supports and encourages commercial and industrial growth while supporting non-motorized transportation and safety. These goals are reiterated in the 2018 Comprehensive Development Plan Amendment – pages 3 and 4.
 
The existing 2008 Yellowstone County and City of Billings Growth Policy supports the CDP and the CDP Amendment in the following areas:
 
Chapter 4.1 Land Use, page 37 references the Lockwood Community Plan that outlines the preferred land uses for industrial purposes in Lockwood: Lockwood Community Plan, Community Background section, page 6: “Lockwood’s location as the eastern gateway to the City of Billings, its significant commercial and industrial business presence, and its community-oriented residents make the community a place where continued growth and change is expected to occur. The Lockwood Community Plan and its specific Community Focus Areas and Actions Steps will help Lockwood prepare for its future and continue to foster its individuality and community atmosphere.”
 
Chapter 3 Community Goals and Objectives, Economic Development Element, page 7, Goal 1: “Coordinated economic development efforts that target business recruitment, retention, and expansion.”
 
Chapter 5.1 Implementation Tools and Strategies, page 202, lists Urban Renewal Districts and tax increment funds as a tool to redevelop and rehabilitate “blighted” areas. The Targeted Economic Development District had not been authorized at the time the 2008 Growth Policy was adopted, but is now part of the Urban Renewal Law that is cited in this section.
 

There is no direct financial impact for the Planning Board to recommend approval of the amended Comprehensive Development Plan to the Board of County Commissioners. However, if the TEDD is expanded as outlined in the amended plan, it is expected to further support new commercial and industrial investment and development in Lockwood which will add to the County tax base and may increase revenues to the service districts in Lockwood.

 

Staff recommends that the Planning Board review and discuss the CDP amendment and TEDD expansion to determine that the 2016 Lockwood Growth Policy and the 2008 Yellowstone County Growth Policy support the amended Comprehensive Development Plan for the Lockwood TEDD. The Board at its meeting on Wednesday, October 10 will then conduct a public hearing and take action to recommend approval of the amended CDP to the Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners.