Flathead County planning board signals intent to recommend Somers subdivision

For want of more affordable housing the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday tabled the proposed Steamboat Landing subdivision, asking the developer to return with traffic mitigation measures so that it could support the project. 

The proposed subdivision calls for 252 residential units made up of single-family residential lots and condominium lots on 63.79 acres adjacent to the Somers Middle School. 

Several board members said they wanted to support the higher-density project located in an area where sewer and water services are available, but worried about the impact an estimated 2,200 new daily vehicle trips from the subdivision could have on roads leading from the subdivision that intersect with Montana 82. 

Board Chair Jeff Larsen called traffic the Achilles’ heel of the subdivision, noting that he’d be forced to vote against the subdivision if changes weren’t made. 

“We’ve talked about putting density into areas that have municipal services and allowing for smaller lots and this does that,” he said. “With more supply of housing, we are more likely to have affordability.” 

Though several members of the public worried about the impact on the school because of increased enrollment and traffic, board member Elliot Adams said having housing close to the school is a positive for the subdivision if traffic can be mitigated.  

“If we’re going to have more affordable housing we need to have higher density and this is that,” he said. “This is also good because it protects our open spaces. This has a lot going for it — being close to the school and a major highway is good.” 

The developer agreed to contact the Montana Department of Transportation about the feasibility of adding a traffic light to the highway. The board plans to take up the project again at its April meeting providing a recommendation to county commissioners who will make the final decision. 

Access to the subdivision would be from Sunnybrook Lane and Somers Road. 

A traffic study for Steamboat Landing recommended installing separated northbound right- and left-turn lanes at Montana 82 and School Addition Road. The study said it is unlikely that increased traffic from the subdivision and anticipated traffic growth in the area through 2028 would necessitate any traffic control improvements. 

Though mitigating traffic impacts was key for the board, during the more than an hour and a half of public comment only a handful of speakers supported the project. Most who commented worried about increasing traffic near the school while saying the project is too dense and would negatively affect wildlife, noting its proximity to the Flathead Waterfowl Production Area on the shoreline of Flathead Lake. 

Leslie West said the property is being developed in an unethical manner by creating small lots in order to turn a profit. 

“This will not promote upscale homes, but small, cheaply built low-income dwellings,” she said. “We don’t have the infrastructure to accommodate the houses or the number of vehicles that this will put on the road. It will not be the developer that is burdened by this subdivision — it will be the taxpayers who pay for increases required for infrastructure.” 

Adding housing to Somers doesn’t make sense because there are no businesses in the community to provide jobs, Kristen Darling told the Planning Board, and new development comes with a cost as upgrades are needed to infrastructure.

“Steamboat Landing is going like a siphon that is going to take our time, our resources and our money,” she said. “This is more people to cram in here. Unchecked growth is a cancer. This is a malignancy that we have to survive.” 

Saying the new housing would benefit families like his own that was able to find a home in nearby Klondyke Loop, Chance Barrett was among those who supported the project. 

“This is a launching pad for those who want to build a life in the valley,” he said. “There is a recurring theme of a lack of affordable housing. If this were developed with 5 and 10 acre lots that wouldn’t create affordable housing. This gives others like myself the opportunity to get into a house. Smaller lots allow for smaller houses and that opportunity.” 

Citing the property’s location next to the school and other housing subdivisions, Tim Birk, one of the owners of the property, said it’s an ideal location for housing. 

“What we’re proposing are lots that are bigger than what’s in downtown Kalispell,” he said. “We have water and sewer, streets and sidewalks. This is a place that is well situated for housing — you can’t do much better than this.”

“We need housing,” he added. “This is something that can make an impact on the cost of housing.” 

A preliminary plat is being requested for the project that could bring 180 single-family homes and 72 condos. The project is planned to be developed in five phases — the first estimated to be completed in 2025 and the final in 2033. 

The Somers Water and Sewer District has agreed to provide service for the first phase of the project planned for 60 housing units. The development would have to gain approval for subsequent phases. 

Several parks are planned throughout the subdivision at about 6 acres, and 2.51 acres would remain in open space within a wetland area on the property. As part of the preliminary plat a wetland delineation report says that the area contains 2.55 acres of freshwater emergent wetland and thus a 50-foot setback is indicated on the plat. 

The property is not zoned and contains several outbuildings in the southeastern portion.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.  

    A sign for the proposed Steamboat Landing subdivision project along Sunnybrook Lane in Somers on Tuesday, March 12. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
 Casey Kreider