Hungry Horse Villages goes to planning board

By CHRIS PETERSON / Hungry Horse News

A plan for the first large subdivision in Hungry Horse in decades is set to go before the Flathead County Planning Board next Wednesday (April 16).

Hungry Horse Villages is a proposed 75 lot subdivision on 32.64 acres of land on the west side of Colorado Boulevard.

The subdivision includes a total of 132 dwelling units, as some of the proposed structures are condominiums.

The project would create its own sewage treatment plant north of Canyon Elementary School. Once the plant is built, it would then transfer ownership over to the Hungry Horse Sewer and Water District, which would run the plant.

The plan estimates it will take 215 units at $60 a month to pay for the plant. The school, which needs to upgrade its own sewer, would also be able to hook up to the plant.

The Flathead County Planning office has reviewed the plan and makes no recommendations, though it does note the subdivision would be beneficial to the fire department and other municipal services because it will add to the tax base.

The school district has already said it could accommodate the additional students from the new subdivision.

The county planning department also looked at impacts on traffic, the neighborhood, wildlife and emergency services from the subdivision. Those impacts were found to be minimal. The area under consideration was, at one time, part of the town, but the houses were moved and it reverted back to forest and vacant land after the Forest Service took ownership.

The Forest Service then put 90-plus acres of land, considered surplus, up for auction and it was purchased by the Byrd family and Dennis Konpatzke. The two entities are operating as Hungry Horse Land Development Partnership and have an Irving, Texas address.

This planned is a scaled down version of an original plan which would have put some 600 units in the unincorporated town on more acreage.

That plan didn't garner much support from the public, the schools or the Flathead County planning department. In August, 2006, the planning board voted 8-1 against the project in that form and developers then withdrew the application.

The new plan proposes the development in phases. The application going before the planning board is called Hungry Horse Villages Phases I-IV.

The public can comment on the plan at the meeting or in writing. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. April 16. It is currently the only item on the agenda.