Board votes against Creston subdivision

A major subdivision on the valley's east side earned a negative recommendation from the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday.

At the end of the five-hour meeting - one of the longest in a very long year for the board - the members turned thumbs down on Sweetgrass Ranch by a 6-1 vote.

The high-end, 64-lot subdivision was proposed on 125 acres on the east side of Montana 206 near the intersection with Montana 35.

A small portion of the property has been used to grow raspberries and other berries in recent years. There also are 28 acres of old-growth ponderosa pine forest on the south side along Blaine Creek.

The developers offered to permanently protect the forest, together with another 25 acres of parkland that would have walking trails and native vegetation.

However, several neighbors spoke in opposition, saying this proposal was inconsistent with the density and lot sizes in the area.

"You can stand on any of the corners of the property and look around and see very few homes," said Ivan Lorentzen, who has lived adjacent to the Sweetgrass Ranch property for more than 50 years.

"The density being proposed is way, way over anything that's in the neighborhood now," Lorentzen said. "My concern is that this would be used as an excuse to do this same thing over and over again, all along [Montana] 206."

Concerns also were raised about possible high water in the area, impacts on wildlife, and uncertainty about the elevation of the 100-year flood plain along Blaine Creek.

Other than the applicants, no one spoke in favor of the project.

"This valley is a whole bunch of neighborhoods, and I don't think a project like this belongs in that neighborhood," board member Frank DeKort said.

Board member Gene Dziza said he was disappointed the developers hadn't proposed a community sewer system rather than 64 individual septic systems.

Jeff Larsen, the only board member to vote in favor of the proposal, said the neighbors could end up with something much worse than Sweetgrass Ranch.

"It's an unzoned area," he said. "Someone could come in and tear out all that old-growth timber. If this doesn't pass, [the neighbors and developers] need to work together and get something nice there."

The subdivision will now go to the county commissioners for final action unless the developers withdraw their application.

In other action on Wednesday, the board:

-Punted on the Kestrel subdivision, a four-lot project on 6.6 acres along East Many Lakes Drive.

This proposal had earned a favorable recommendation from the board and the county planning staff two months ago.

However, through a combination of errors, an incorrect public notice was mailed to the neighbors. The subdivision design also was modified, so the project went back through the planning process.

This time, the planning staff recommended denial, citing concerns with the road access and slopes; the findings of fact presented in the staff report supported this recommendation.

Several neighbors suggested that the road leading to this property was private, meaning the developer didn't have legal access - something the developer disputed. There also were disagreements about which subdivision the property was in and whether it complied with certain covenants.

The board was understandably confused. A motion to recommend denial of Kestrel subdivision failed on a 6-1 vote. The board then declined to make a favorable recommendation, in part because it would have had to amend the findings of fact.

Consequently, the project goes to the commissioners with no recommendation.

-Unanimously recommended approval of a zone change from R-2 to R-5 for 5 acres at 316 Harmony Road in Evergreen.

This zone change will pave the way for a 17-lot subdivision application.

-Unanimously recommended approval of the Harris subdivision, a four-lot project on 6.5 acres at 315 Deer Creek Road near Somers.

The board added conditions that would require the project to connect to the Lakeside sewer system, if possible, and to install a multi-user water system.

-Unanimously recommended approval of the resubdivision of Lot 1 in Subdivision 172, which will create two lots on 10 acres at 589 Badrock Drive.

-Unanimously recommended approval of Deer Meadows, a four-lot subdivision on 20.5 acres at 1823 Conn Road southwest of Whitefish.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com.