Proposed subdivision raises road safety, wetlands concerns

A 14-lot subdivision on 30 acres along Smith Lake Road west of Kalispell will be considered during a Flathead County Planning Board public hearing on Nov. 8.

Michael Fraser and the Strickland Family Trust are asking for preliminary plat approval of Pheasant Ridge Estates. Lots range in size from 2 to 2.3 acres. A public water system is proposed, with individual septic systems.

The property is undeveloped land with a strip of forest along the northern edge, about 3 miles west of Kalispell. The northern portion of the property, which is proposed as a no-build zone, is zoned as a scenic corridor.

In agency comments in the planning staff report, Flathead County Public Works Director Dave Prunty pointed to road safety concerns at the intersection of Smith Lake Road and Whalebone Drive.

“This intersection to the northeast of the proposed subdivision does pose safety concerns to our department,” Prunty said. “It is highly likely that residents in the subdivision would use this intersection in their travels to Kalispell.”

The roads intersect at a skewed angle that creates poor sight distance, Prunty noted, and a steep slope on Smith Lake Road coming into the intersection makes winter driving an issue.

Smith Lake Road is planned as the primary access to the subdivision.

Another concern was detailed by Jessy Coltrane of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, who wrote that the National Wetlands Inventory identified a freshwater emergent wetland on the southern end of the property. While the contractor found the area to be mostly dry, the site visit was conducted in late July this year during a drought, she said.

“Regardless, in spring this freshwater emergent wetland on the property provides habitat for migratory birds, which most likely nest in the adjacent hay fields,” Coltrane stated. “The destruction of this wetland will result in the loss of such habitat for migratory birds, which utilize the larger surrounding area as well.”

Fish, Wildlife and Parks recommends the developer consult with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the wetland. As a minimum, the state agency recommends two of the lots be kept free of development.

One of the findings in the staff report notes that wetland areas in the subdivision either will be required to be designated as no-build zones or will be “shown to not exist through an acceptable wetland delineation study.”

The property is about three-quarters of a mile from the Batavia Waterfowl Production area.

In other business, the Planning Board will conduct two additional public hearings:

- Kalispell Athletic Club Inc. at 770 West Reserve Drive is asking for a zone change on 2.19 acres from neighborhood/professional business to general business zoning.

- Cherie Hansen, with technical assistance from TD&H Engineering, is asking for preliminary plat approval of the resubdivision of a lot in Eagle Bend West No. 5. The property is located at 316 and 318 Canal Street.

The board meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8 in the second-floor conference room of the South Campus Building, 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.