After years of often-contentious discussion, Lewis and Clark County is on the road to comprehensive zoning regulations for the Helena Valley.

The Development Standards Working Group -- made up of builders, smart-growth advocates, planners and residents -- has finalized its proposal for new development standards and zoning regulations.

The group forwarded its proposal to county officials and Consolidated Planning Board members, marking the first step in a new process nearly four years in the making.

The group asked the Planning Board, within the next three months, to direct county planning staffers to draft regulations based on the proposal and move forward with the aim of replacing the county's interim zoning regulations. County commissioners would consider the regulations forwarded by the Planning Board.

To view the proposal, follow the link at helenair.com.

The document includes development standards -- including a proposed requirement for keeping new septic system mixing zones and well isolation and influence zones within property boundaries or easements -- along with a grandfathering clause for existing lots and uses, and a set of 10 proposed zoning designations based on densities and uses.

"We needed to create a more predictable zoning process," said Tim Davis, the director of the Montana Smart Growth Coalition and the spokesman for the local group.

"I think it's a good compromise," he added. "All sides got something and all sides gave something up. Nobody loves it perfectly."

Davis said the group made some specific changes to the proposed regulations for septic mixing zones and water wells in response to public comments gathered at a series of meetings this spring.

Some folks at those meetings were opposed to any attempt to draft permanent zoning regulations for the area, he said, but most people wanted a predictable process that gives developers a clear idea of what rules they're facing while providing residents with assurances of what types of development could take place in their neighborhoods.

The group is suggesting the Planning Board and county commissioners adopt the development standards, the grandfathering clauses and the list of 10 zoning designations without immediately applying the zoning classifications to areas of the valley, Davis said. He wants county officials to undertake a long-term, hyper-local process of community meetings to gather public input before applying the designations to the landscape.

"The rubber's going to hit the road when you start talking about which of the 10 designations to apply and where," he said. "We really want the county to engage people on the ground and take time."

County Commission Chair Ed Tinsley said he's had time to do a cursory review of the proposal, and so far he likes it.

"I think it's a huge step forward in the right direction," he said. "It gives a real, reliable, predictable set of regulations that we've been striving for.

"I haven't made a decision"on whether to support the proposal, Tinsley added, noting the process that must take place before a formal proposal is in front of commissioners. "But it looks like we're moving full steam ahead in the right direction."

The Helena Association of Realtors was a part of the group's work until a year ago, when it dropped out in protest of the county's interim zoning regulations and the process county officials took to approve those rules. A spokesman said the association is pleased the work has been completed but has not yet had the time to review the proposal's specific details and offer comment.

Reporter Larry Kline: 447-4075 or larry.kline@helenair.com