Cedar Creek land sale starts

The decision has been made to sell the Cedar Creek Reservoir and watershed north of Columbia Falls.

Now, it's time to roll up the sleeves to begin that land sale.

Four Realtors officially still are vying for the right to sell the 360 acres of city land there.

But if the Columbia Falls City Council follows its Land Use Committee's recommendation tonight, Bill Dakin and Allen Jacobson soon will have their hands full with marketing and selling the land.

Based on the four proposals received, committee members were convinced that Dakin and Jacobson, of RE/Max Mountain View in Columbia Falls, had the best idea for the land and how to package and market it.

And, according to committee member Doug Karper, the two Realtors demonstrated that they captured the city's vision for land use there.

"Their proposal was comprehensive, complete and they're on the same page as us regarding our desire for what to do with that land," Karper said.

Others submitting proposals were Scott Santa of RE/Max Glacier Country and Kim Emerson-Santa of Century 21 Glacier Gateway; Bill Baum of Ted Dykstra Real Estate; and Matthew Hohnberger and Rory Stevens of Coldwell Banker Wachholz and Co.

The first two proposed a 5-percent commission, and Hohnberger-Stevens proposed 8 percent. Dakin and Jacobson propose 6 percent, with a reduced 5.25 percent on land surrounding the reservoir, much of which is too wet to develop.

Money from the land sale - which could begin at $2.2 million, according to an appraisal from David Heine and Associates of Kalispell, or reach as much as $2.98 million, Dakin and Jacobson say - will go in a trust fund to benefit residents of Columbia Falls.

Here's how Dakin and Jacobson would divide the land:

. 180 acres surrounding the reservoir - both appraisals set the value at $1,458,000. The city may need to spend thousands of dollars, Dakin and Jacobson say, to provide access on the north end from the North Fork Road. They suggest moving the northern boundary to include about three acres more, to coincide with land easement with the Sedivy family property.

. 25 acres north and east of the North Fork Road - Heine's appraisal is $87,500;

Dakin and Jacobson's is $200,000 undeveloped, or $575,000 with infrastructure. It's been heavily logged, they note, and is littered as a party place and dumping ground. To the southwest is the North Fork Road, and the Flathead National Forest, with views of Teakettle Mountain and good topography for homes. They suggest five home lots on a cul-de-sac. The city would need to spend about $55,000 to put in the infrastructure.

. 15 acres north of the reservoir on the east side of North Fork Road - Heine's estimate is $53,000, Dakin and Jacobson's is $145,000 undeveloped, or $230,000 with infrastructure. They propose two five- to six-acre tracts, bounded on the south by the Sedivy easement, which reduces it to 12 acres. The Parker Hill approach could be used from the north. It would cost the city about $7,000 to subdivide the land and add infrastructure.

. 140 acres west of the North Fork Road - Heine appraises it at $630,000, Dakin and Jacobson at $550,000 undeveloped, or $270,000 for three home sites on nine acres plus $450,000 for the rest of the 130 acres. Its topography and access are "challenging," the Realtors say, and the entire parcel should be considered "very sensitive." The three home sites would be at the southern end along the North Fork Road, after a city outlay of $25,000 for infrastructure. Steepness, wetland and the creek course make the northern 80 acres "virtually unusable," they say, but the remaining 50 acres just north of a Forest Service road could be used for "dramatic view" building sites, though access is difficult.

Dakin and Jacobson suggested cleanup and other measures to help market the land, which they broke down into the 12 sale units.

Copies of the map are available for viewing at City Hall.

The two Realtors defined what they see as the potential land sale's bottom line - for the council to decide whether its goal is to get the most money for the land, or accept a lower price by selling it fast and at the least city expense.

The city would sell all but the 40 acres that hold the dam face and 2-million-gallon water storage tank used as emergency backup.

Council members want the best value for the land while protecting water quality and prolonging the longevity of the dam.

Discussions about the best way to protect water quality and longevity of the dam led to a council decision last month to enforce performance standards for how to carry out any potential development on the Cedar Creek land.

Those would govern water-quality effects from such things as runoff from asphalt and other impermeable surfaces, and establishing practices and structures that would limit siltation that could clog the reservoir and put the dam out of commission prematurely.

Reporter Nancy Kimball can be reached at 758-4483 or by e-mail at nkimball@dailyinterlake.com.