Columbia Falls to develop Cedar Creek land
By NANCY KIMBALL
The Daily Inter Lake
The city of Columbia Falls took a step into land development Monday night when the City Council approved a preliminary plat for nine acres of the city's Cedar Creek Reservoir land.
Cedar Creek South is proposed at the southwestern tip of about 400 acres that were initially in the package of four parcels offered in fall 2005. The nine acres are broken out from about a 130-acre parcel along the west side of the North Fork Road.
The Cedar Creek Reservoir is east of the road.
Two of the original parcels have sold - the 130 acres of rugged land directly north of the nine acres, and the 180 acres surrounding the reservoir.
To market the nine acres, Bill Dakin of REMAX Mountain View, who represents the city in the land sales, suggested the city improve its value by developing the infrastructure before selling it.
As proposed in the Cedar Creek South plat, the city will subdivide it into three lots and build a cul-de-sac road, and sewer and water lines to serve all three from a central location. The city also would pave the existing U.S. Forest Service access from the North Fork Road.
About a half-acre of the 9.37 acres would go for roadways, leaving one lot at just less than two acres, the second at a little less than three acres and the third at 3.7 acres.
For an estimated $40,000 in improvements per lot, the city then could market each lot at a selling price closer to $150,000.
City Manager Bill Shaw said the paving expense would be about $25,000, and another $10,000 or $15,000 would go into utilities.
With only 30 vehicle trips a day expected from this development after homeowners move in, paving is not required. But, Shaw explained, people buying land in that price range would be interested in the paving for dust control and ease of maintenance.
Although Cedar Creek South currently is not in the Columbia Falls Rural Fire District, council member Don Barnhart said the city need only request annexation to get fire protection there.
He also questioned the practicality of a requirement to have house numbers available from the North Fork Road. Plevel suggested naming both the access road and the cul-de-sac, with house numbers posted at the entrance to the latter.
Surveyor Olaf Ervin, during the public hearing, asked for a condition preventing further subdivision of the three lots and to require a road-maintenance agreement so emergency services could access the properties.
All suggestions were incorporated into the conditions of plat approval.
The amended staff report and preliminary plat were approved on a 5-0 vote, with council chairman Jolie Fish and council member Mike Shepard absent.
Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.