Trends outlined in previous sections represent a broad overview of the economic issues affecting Smiley Township. Job growth in Thief River Falls has mitigated the population declines experienced in townships farther from city job centers. It is likely the Township will continue to experience the effect of job growth and ongoing transitions in agriculture. Township Board members and planning members examined these trends, added their knowledge of the Township, and then identified key development issues facing the Township.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nfollowing is a summary of the most significant issues, including\nrecommended land use approach for each issue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Larger\nScale Farming \u2013 Larger scale farming will have some effect in the\nTownship, but Smiley is well suited to farming of all types. Positive\nfactors include good road systems (See Road Infrastructure Map in\nAttachments). the long history of farming, the good neighbor attitude\nof residents, and the introduction of a wide variety of state and\nfederal programs which protect the environment. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\npossibility of new large scale animal operations was identified as a\nhigh priority issue. The Township should make certain it can control\nthe placement of large feedlots, but do so in a manner that\ncommunicates support for farming. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part-Time\nFarmers \u2013 As more and more residents move into the Township, there\nis more likelihood\nof small\nscale part-time farming, including vegetable production, small animal\nraising, or small acreage crop production. This should not pose a\nproblem for the Township, and the increase of home-based businesses\nshould be examined to make certain the Township has the ability to\ndirect the growth of businesses that could potentially reach higher\nlevels of employment. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Non-Farm\nResidents \u2013 There are a number of non-farming residents in the\nTownship and current and future employment growth in nearby Thief\nRiver Falls could likely increase the number. This has been a\npositive factor in the Township, but the Township should remain\nattentive to the possibility that large scale farming and non-farm\nresidents may not be the perfect mix. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Higher\nDensity Housing \u2013 Other than two areas of higher density\nmanufactured housing, there are no other developments of this type in\nthe Township. The Township will clarify what they consider to be a\nreasonable density in the ag\/residential areas that cover the\nTownship now, but any further developments of this type will need to\nbe approved by the Township Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recreation\n\u2013 The largest share of the Township\u2019s land area is used for\nagriculture, but there are considerable areas of wetlands, forest,\nand grasslands (See Land Use Map in Attachments). Much of this land\nis well-suited to hunting, motorized trails, horse trails, walking,\nand other activities. There may be some potential for event-related\nrecreation or intense-use areas such as ATV or racetrack parks. The\nTownship should make certain these potentials are addressed in\nappropriate ordinances. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sensitive\nNatural Areas \u2013 Areas suitable for recreation are often desirable\nlocations for gravel pits, feedlots, housing developments, and other\nactivities. Existing state and federal programs are adequate to\nprotect these areas in most circumstances, but there is the potential\nfor land use conflicts, damage from overuse, or damage from\nlandowners ignoring regulations. Potential issues include, but are\nnot limited to, items such as reclaiming gravel pits, feedlots\nestablished near drainage systems, housing near wetland areas, or\ndamaging motorized activity. The Township should make certain\nordinances allow for a voice in these cases, but use caution to\nmaintain freedom for residents to enjoy and use natural areas when no\ndamage will occur. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Industry\n\u2013 The proximity of the Township to Thief River Falls leaves open\nthe possibility of larger scale industry locating in the Township.\nThe Township should make provisions to ensure residents have the\nability to influence the location of industrial operations to prevent\nconflicts. The Township could also identify areas best suited to\nlarger business or industry if there is a desire to promote this type\nof activity. Any commercial or industrial venture must be approved by\nthe Township Zoning Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Public Facilities \u2013 Access to roads, drainage, good soil conditions, electricity, telephone, broadband and other public infrastructure is important to assuring a high quality living and working environment for residents. Providing new public infrastructure is expensive and can promote unexpected changes in development patterns. The Township should encourage the location of residences, farm operations, and businesses where the efficient use of infrastructure is possible and avoid new infrastructure in areas not well-suited to development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Trends outlined in previous sections represent a broad overview of the economic issues affecting Smiley Township. Job growth in Thief River Falls has mitigated the population declines experienced in townships farther from city job centers. It is likely the Township … Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29,"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smileytownship.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}