Helena Flats subdivision resurfaces
The Daily Inter Lake
A growth policy amendment and major subdivision proposal in Evergreen, together with a 1,000-acre subdivision west of Whitefish, top the Flathead County Planning Board's agenda tonight.
The growth policy amendment for Cottonwood Estates would convert 38 acres along Helena Flats Road, directly east of Solberg Drive, from an agricultural to urban residential designation.
Two related applications would change the zoning from SAG-10 suburban agricultural to R-4 two-family residential and allow for a 103-lot subdivision with 87 single-family home lots and 16 duplex lots.
The planning board held a public hearing on three similar applications last year. The board recommended denial by a 5-2 vote; the proposal was later tabled by the commissioners because of uncertainty over who would provide sewer service to the subdivision.
Since then, the project has been modified slightly.
The density was reduced from 120 lots to 103; after efforts to connect to the Evergreen sewer system were stymied, the developer is proposing an onsite sewage treatment system.
Each lot in the subdivision would have a septic tank to retain any solids, but the liquid effluent would be conveyed to a central "Level II" package treatment plant to remove the pollutants. The treated water would then be released to an onsite drainfield.
Level II systems treat effluent to a higher quality than traditional septic systems.
The developer would also be required to install sewer lines just in case public sewer becomes available in the future.
The project would include 8.8 acres of parkland, well above the 2.5 acres required by the county subdivision regulations. However, the planning staff report on the application indicates that the proposed park areas include a slough and an intermittent stream, as well as the drainfield and backup drainfield for the treatment plant.
The subdivision is surrounded by lower-density development, but the staff report notes that much of the area was built out before public sewer or Level II treatment technology was available.
The report indicates that the transportation infrastructure in the area might have trouble accommodating the additional traffic from the subdivision, but it ultimately recommends approval of all three applications.
Other public hearings on tonight's planning board agenda include:
. The preliminary plat for The Homestead at Whitefish, a 32-lot single-family subdivision on 1,091 acres at 200 Star Meadow Road, about 12 miles west of Whitefish.
Lots in the subdivision would range from 20 to 29 acres. The internal roads would be paved. There would also be about 300 acres left in open space and 103 acres left for future development.
. The preliminary plat for West Valley Subdivision No. 1, a four-lot residential project on 20 acres located at 1260 West Valley Road.
. The board also will reconsider the preliminary plat for Mill Creek Estates, a 113-lot subdivision on 38 acres located at the south end of Chapman Hill Road in Bigfork.
The planned unit development proposal for this project was recommended for approval earlier this year. However, the staff report inadvertently combined the PUD and preliminary plat - necessitating tonight's action.
The board meets in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building in Kalispell, beginning at 6 p.m.