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Because of its beautiful, natural surroundings, its close proximity to numerous outdoor recreation facilities such as hiking and biking trails, and lakes, streams, and rivers used for kayaking, canoeing, swimming, and fishing, as well as the cultural offerings of the cities of Vermillion and Silver Cliff, the Silver County region is one facing a rapid influx of newcomers. One of the main issues facing the region is how to best manage the region’s fast-paced growth and development, which has led to a rather heated and contentious dispute over how to best balance growth while preserving the natural amenities and quality of life residents have come to expect. A Tough Decision In the near future, voters will decide the fate of the region by choosing between two competing visions of growth management as outlined in two very different comprehensive plans. Once implemented, either plan will guide the entire scope of business, land use planning, transportation, agriculture, and community development in the region as a whole for the next 10 to 20 years or more. Town planners, officials, and residents have considered two options, one dubbed "FuturePlan" continues trends established from the current comprehensive plan that features relatively unregulated growth and development and will disperse any new growth in two neighboring, “satellite” towns, Crimson and Mineral. A second alternative "SmartPlan" features an altogether new comprehensive plan that proposed contiguous growth adjoining the existing urban areas of Vermillion and Silver Cliff and would limit the amount of new growth in sensitive mountain ecosystems. The dispute centers around these two competing growth management plans.
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Also available: General Environmental Dispute Simulation
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