Specialty-resort planned-unit-development continued after wetland, floodplain questions

The Pennington County Planning Commission on March 24 continued consideration of planned unit development overlay COPU205-0001, a proposed specialty resort north of Rocheford Road and Silver Creek Road, to the April 14 Planning Commission meeting (and to the May 6 Board of Commissioners meeting for further comment).

Planner Megan Talmich told commissioners the property contains wetlands and a perennial stream; FEMA floodplain maps do not show the floodplain on the parcel, but staff noted an adjacent FEMA-mapped floodplain to the south and identified the site as an unstudied or study area on FEMA maps. Staff said they will obtain more detailed wetland and stream permitting information and are in conversations with outside entities including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources to clarify permitting requirements; a Section 401-type permit may be required as part of the building/permitting process.

Talmich said staff had received several written objections and that the property owner submitted a narrative in response. Commissioners and several members of the public described episodic flooding and high water during heavy spring rains; some commissioners said they had personally observed water crossing roads in the watershed in past years.

The commission voted to continue COPU205-0001 to April 14 to allow staff to produce a supplemental report with wetland delineation, permit-pathway clarifications and responses to public comments.

Why it matters: the proposal involves environmental constraints and potential federal/state permitting; wetlands and stream protections can materially affect project feasibility and required conditions.

Next steps: staff will pursue coordination with the Corps and state agencies, add a wetlands diagram to the staff report and return the item on April 14 with updated analysis and recommended conditions.