Wallace council approves MOD

WALLACE — A rousing round of applause signaled the end of what has been years in the making on Wednesday night when the Wallace City Council approved an ordinance creating a mountain overlay district (MOD) for their beloved city.

Following a public hearing last month at the Shoshone County Courthouse, Wallace’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the proposed ordinance for submission to the council.

Community support for the ordinance was overwhelming compared to the number of people in opposition to it, with 60 comments or letters in favor to just six opposing.

Overlay zones are zoning districts that work in addition to existing zoning districts to create specific, and sometimes stricter standards and criteria for the areas within the zones they cover.

The overlay zones are frequently used to protect specific aspects of communities and surrounding areas such as historic buildings, wetlands, steep slopes and waterfronts.

“I think Planning and Zoning has done a wonderful job with this,” said Wallace Mayor Lynn Mogensen. “They put a lot of hours and a lot of work into this.”

Mogensen wasn’t the only person to speak favorably about the time and effort, as well as what the new MOD means for the community.

Councilwoman Michele Bisconer read through the ordinance in its entirety prior to the meeting and was pleased with it.

“This has been several years in the making and it was not an easy task,” Bisconer said. “I think the ordinance is well thought out and is a win-win for everybody. Property owners can still develop their property… responsibly. We’ll have rules to follow and these rules are reasonable. They protect our city infrastructure, the natural landscape and environment, our viewshed, and ensure that we don’t lose our historic look. I also think that they take into consideration neighboring properties.”

During the public comment period at last month’s hearing, many of those who supported the MOD spoke about their fears surrounding potential development on the mountainsides surrounding Wallace — including John Magnuson, who discussed similar concerns when a proposed logging project on Wallace’s south hill had been discussed a few years ago.

“The main purposes of the proposed Wallace mountain overlay are to protect and regulate development on steep slopes in order to control erosion, avoid landslides, protect water quality, ensure adequate delivery of municipal services, and preserve aesthetic values,” P&Z member Courtney Frieh told the News-Press previously. “The proposed mountain overlay contains clear standards and guidance for developers. It generally applies to parcels within city limits having a 25% slope or greater, including a grandfather clause for existing residential parcels. It limits hillside development to residential housing, one house per 10 acres, and provides additional standards to control road building and visual scarring of the hillsides, and scenic beauty.”

After an official reading, a vote was called for the ordinance — five votes in favor were received, with Councilwoman Heather Branstetter abstaining from the vote due to a letter of support that she wrote in conjunction with the Historical Wallace Preservation Society, which had been read at the public hearing.

The new ordinance must be advertised before it goes into effect.