County commissioners call for environmental testing for proposed Somers subdivision

Flathead County commissioners want environmental testing on a site proposed for a large-scale housing subdivision in Somers before considering whether to approve the project near a Superfund site.  

Commissioners on Thursday voted to table the Steamboat Landing subdivision, requiring testing of the site and returning it to the county Planning Board, which has already held several public hearings on the project. Ultimately, the commissioners would have to vote on the subdivision proposed to include about 250 residential units.  

Several neighbors of the project during public comments outlined a list of concerns related to the project. At the top were concerns about whether contamination from the former BNSF Railway tie treatment site to the south could migrate into the subdivision.