County approves proposal

By KRISTI ALBERTSON

The Daily Inter Lake

After nearly three hours of discussion and debate, the Flathead County Commissioners approved a 60-lot subdivision on Ashley Lake, provided the developer meets certain conditions.

More than 50 people attended the meeting about The Preserve at Ashley Lake - formerly Ashley Lake South - which is being developed by Plum Creek Land Co., a subsidiary of Plum Creek Timber Co.

The 646-acre project is proposed near where Ashley Creek begins at the foot of the lake. Bernard Creek also runs through the property. Lots would range from 4.4 acres to 30.4 acres in size, and each would have its own well. Lots would be serviced by individual or multi-user septic systems.

Last week, the Flathead County Planning Board gave the subdivision a unanimous recommendation. The commissioners were not unanimous; Bob Watne and Gary Hall approved the project after the commission amended the proposal, while Joe Brenneman opposed it.

His dissent came after a long discussion about Ashley Lake Road, which is about 9 miles long and connects the proposed subdivision with U.S. 2. The proposal stated that Plum Creek would pave the length of the road in front of the subdivision, about 1.2 miles.

Hall recommended the company pave an additional 4.8 miles of Ashley Lake Road.

Current estimates suggest that about 300 vehicles travel the road each day, a number county Road and Bridge superintendent Charlie Johnson agreed is accurate. When the subdivision goes in, an additional 600 vehicles are expected, based on an average of about 10 vehicles per lot.

Because two-thirds of the traffic will be directly attributable to the subdivision, Plum Creek should be responsible for paving two-thirds of the road, Hall said.

Developer Peter Strellinger protested this, arguing that if the company had to pave an additional 4.8 miles, the project couldn't happen. Plum Creek was meeting the standard used on every project before this one, he said.

"I definitely do not think that paving two-thirds of Ashley Lake Road is reasonable," he said.

Strellinger also challenged the number of vehicles that currently drive the road. The figure is two years old; Strellinger thinks at least 600 vehicles travel the road each day. He agreed that the subdivision would increase traffic to about 900 vehicles, but that would mean Plum Creek was responsible for just a third of the traffic.

The cost must be directly attributable to impact, he said, adding that it was the county's job to prove that impact.

He suggested using a "proper way" to determine the traffic impact, because "right now, it's based on fuzzy math that I'm just not comfortable with."

Because the road count was not up-to-date, Brenneman said he couldn't vote in favor of the proposal. He did support the idea of Plum Creek paving at least part of the road, however, pointing out that if someone was injured or killed on it, the county would be liable.

"There are ways of mitigating this," Strellinger said.

Brenneman nodded. "Pave it."

The crowd applauded. Many of them had addressed the road issue at the beginning of the meeting.

Doug Gamma, whose family has been in the Ashley Lake area for a century and who owns 1,600 acres adjacent to the proposed subdivision, urged the commissioners to find a way to fix the road.

On the whole, he supports the project. Gamma approves of how the developer has met with the community and taken their suggestions seriously.

But unless the road is improved, Gamma said, he couldn't completely approve of the subdivision. In late summer, dust from the road is so thick that he has to move his cattle, he said; otherwise they would get sick breathing it in.

Others said the dust creates a safety hazard. That, combined with the road's state of disrepair, makes it downright dangerous, they said.

Mitigating for dust was another condition the commissioners set forth. Any unpaved part of the road must be coated to minimize dust.

The commissioners also said an advisory committee, including representatives from the Friends of Ashley Lake; Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and a Plum Creek biologist, must work with stakeholders to create a report on how to best manage a park/conservation area near the lake in critical loon-nesting habitat.

Plum Creek's proposal did state the company would donate $2,000 to FWP's Loon Ranger program and said the subdivision's homeowners' association would give $1,000 annually as long as the program existed.

The final condition asked Plum Creek to look into adding a walking path along the creeks. The company has proposed a 150-foot building setback, even though the zoning district requires only 20 feet.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.