Citizens waiting for construction plans to be approved in Dickinson may not have to wait as long as they have been if a pending agreement between the city and Grand Forks is approved by each city’s attorney. The agreement calls for Grand Forks to provide a helping hand in reviewing applications for commercial buildings and other large structures in Dickinson, easing up some of the stress on the city’s Planning and Zoning Department. The Dickinson department will still handle single-family dwellings and multi-units of three or less.Go to link for more information on how this will work and what it will cost.
369 miles from A to B.
- A: Dickinson, North Dakota
- B: Grand Forks, North Dakota
It's interstate highway the entire distance.
This agreement has been in the planning stages for about a year or less. Some tax payers in Dickinson are questioning this agreement. Williston is going through the same building boom (if not more) than Dickinson, but Williston HIRED their own. How does the planning and zoning personal get a feel for what is happening in Dickinson, and understand the community when they are working and living in Grand Forks. I think if Dickinson is busy enough, they should hire their own, not contract to a community or workers who probably have never spent any time in Dickinson. It is time for Dickinson to hire their own if they truly are that busy and want to get the work done.
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought, also.
DeleteI guess this is the result one gets when city leadership thinks the boom is temporary.
I assume Grand Forks will only be reviewing to make sure the permits meet the letter of the law. I would assume that 90% of permits are pretty straight forward: a permit for a 3-bedroom house in a residential community, for example. A small mom-and-pop retail store in a commercial retail zone, etc., etc. Anything "out-of-the-ordinary" (probably less than 10% of permits) will be retained by Dickinson.
I wonder if Grand Forks could also handle the backlog of court cases due to all the crime in the oil patch? Parking tickets? Speeding? Failing to stop? Driving without a license? Driving with expired tags?
Here is the problem the cities are running into in recruiting professional staff, whether it be city planners, engineers, lawyers, accountants. They time the time and effort to hire and move to the city and the private sector comes in hires them. So many instances this is most efficient route.
ReplyDeleteThis really isn't any of my business. I don't live there. However it appears Dickinson doesn’t have the have the dynamic city government and leadership Williston has. Williston‘s longtime mayor Ward Koeser should be given credit for the way Williston has handled this period of rapid growth and expansion. I get the impression he is the right man for these times. It seems the city works well and meets challenges with optimism and a get things done attitude.
ReplyDeleteI am, of course, biased. My home town is Williston so I cannot comment comparing Williston/Dickinson.
DeleteHowever, it is my understanding that there is a strong faux-environmental movement in southwest North Dakota in the Dickinson - South Heart corridor.
When I read (present tense) stories in the press about Williston and Williams County, I sometimes think the city is at its breaking point, but when I was up there for about three months last autumn, people seemed to be handling it very, very well. Downtown is not particularly busy; all the activity is outside the city. But the county is very, very busy; the roads are busy; and seasonally -- especially wet springs can make it particularly bad.
All indications are that the mayor has been doing well, but it's really the county leadership that has threaded the needle. I would not want to be in their shoes.