Columbia Falls Stage subdivision hearing postponed until September

The Flathead County Planning Board has postponed a controversial subdivision hearing until Sept. 9. The board was supposed to examine it recently, but the application was postponed a month. The Rolling Acres Subdivision as proposed by Betty Trueblood and Unique Realty Developer Inc. would include 77 lots on 114 acres served by shared wells, individual septic systems, and a community sand-mound septic system. The subdivision is located in close proximity to a pair of conservation easements, one just to the north and another just to the south meant to protect riparian habitat along the Flathead River.

Dr. Mark Johnston, a founding member of the nonprofit Fairview Neighborhood Association, which was recently formed in opposition to the subdivision, said the proposed development raises a number of concerns among his group and others.

“This project will take away river corridor land that is probably among the most sensitive for wildlife and water issues. It takes an area that is prime farmland and will turn it under,” he said. “It’s a significant loss no matter how you look at it.”

Johnston, whose family has donated more than 700 acres of land to the conservation easement located directly north of the proposed subdivision, said he and his group are hoping to educate the public about their concerns via a new website, a mail campaign and direct contact, and have hired land-use and hydrology experts to provide their own assessments of the project.

“We wanted to make sure we have facts and that we can truly understand the application. We want the planner to look at the quality of the application and help us find deficiencies, of which we think there are a great number,” he said. “It’s a concern to us that the project has even made it this far, but it has.”

Johnston and his group

are not alone in their trepidations. According to the county Planning and Zoning Office’s staff report, the county has received letters from several local groups detailing their concerns about the project.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks note the land is a key wildlife corridor, connecting the two conservation easements. Those concerns are echoed by the Flathead Land Trust and the Flathead Audubon Society. The Flathead Conservation District has also raised concerns about the loss of prime farmland, which accounts for just 2 percent of the land in Flathead County, most of which is in the Creston area. There are also concerns that the 77 homes, several of which will be on individual septic systems, will cause pollution to enter the Flathead River.

The Creston Fire Department has also raised concerns, saying that optimally, the subdivision should be serviced by a hydrant system.

In short, virtually every one of the 300 comments on the subdivision either opposes it outright or raises concerns, The report from the Flathead County Planning staff, notes, however, that the subdivision seems to meet most of the county’s regulations, provided it meets some conditions.

The planning board will take up the application at 6 p.m. at the county fairgrounds. There will be a public hearing at the meeting. The full application is available at: https:// flathead.mt.gov/planning_ zoning/planningboard.

This story includes additional reporting by Jeremy Weber.