Planning Board considers subdivisions near lakes
The Daily Inter Lake
Two major subdivisions near Ashley and Little Bitterroot lakes come before the Flathead County Planning Board tonight, and a requested major zone change along U.S. 2 in Evergreen.
Plum Creek Timber Co. is proposing both major subdivisions.
Ashley Lake South features 60 lots on 646 acres at the main, south entrance to the lake, where Ashley Creek flows out.
Lots in the project would range from 4.4 to 30.4 acres in size. They would be served by individual water wells, and individual or multi-user septic systems.
A proposed park near the outlet to the lake attracted substantial comment from the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which is concerned about potential impacts on nesting loons and black terns.
The agency offered 11 recommendations, including prohibiting fireworks and prohibiting the development of a boat launch or dock in the park, and closing access during certain times.
Plum Creek agreed to all the recommendations. The company also volunteered to provide $2,000 for the department's Loon Ranger program, proposed a 150-foot building setback from any creeks that run through the property, and offered to pay $100 a lot to address impacts to the local school district.
Traffic impacts were another concern.
Even if all the homes in the subdivision were part-time, recreational homes, the project is expected to generate at least 190 vehicle trips a day during the summer. That would be at least an 80 percent increase over the current road use, according to Plum Creek's application.
The county planning staff is recommending that all internal subdivision roads be paved, and that the company bring Ashley Lake Road up to county standards and pave about 3,000 feet of it.
Some of these same concerns apply to Haskell's Pass, a 78-lot single-family subdivision proposed on 851 acres north of Little Bitterroot Lake, off Lodgepole Drive.
Lots in this project would range from 3.0 to 101.8 acres. They would be served by individual water and sewer systems, with a community drainfield.
Other items on tonight's agenda include:
-A zone change from SAG-10 suburban agricultural to R-4 two-family residential and I-1H light industrial proposed on 141 acres north of East Reserve Drive and east of U.S. 2, immediately adjacent to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad lines.
This property was designated for industrial and high-density residential uses in the Two Rivers growth-policy amendment, which was approved earlier this year but is facing litigation.
The planning staff is recommending denial of this request, based largely on the unavailability of public water and sewer service.
There is also a technical problem with the application, which proposes split zoning on one of the three parcels in this request. The county zoning regulations prohibit split-lot zoning.
Most of the concerns cited in the planning staff report were related to the high-density residential zoning; members seemed to have little problem with the industrial portion of the request.
-A preliminary plat amending lot 4 in Subdivision 148, which would create two single-family lots on four acres at 25 Whalebone Court.
-A preliminary plat amending lot 3 of Strong Estates, which would create two single-family lots on 3.5 acres at 1050 Strong Lane.
Today's meeting takes place at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building.
Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com.