Commissioners lift agricultural covenant and approve Placid View one‑lot subdivision with wildfire, sanitation conditions

Missoula County commissioners on March 3 approved the Placid View one‑lot minor subdivision, which removes an agricultural restrictive covenant placed on Tract A‑1 in 2002 and allows the owners, David and Karen Castle, to create a single residential lot on just over 6.5 acres on the east end of Placid Lake.

Planner Patrick Swart reported that the property lies inside Zoning District 8 and the Seeley Lake regional planning area with a low‑density rural residential land use recommendation (one dwelling per five acres). The parcel is largely forested and subject to steep slopes; Swart said proposed no‑build zones cover steeper portions of the parcel and would restrict residential and accessory structures on much of the western half of the lot.

Swart explained staff reviewed the required variance from the county subdivision rule that generally prohibits through lots; the parcel is a through lot because it has parallel frontages on North Placid Creek Road (north) and North Placid Lake Road (south). Staff recommended approval of the variance and the subdivision because strict compliance would prevent lifting the historic agricultural covenant, the parcel contains no prime farmland soils and the covenant appears not to have been used for agriculture, and public‑safety and access issues were addressed via conditions.

Conditions and safeguards: the county recommended and the board accepted conditions that include delineated no‑build steep‑slope areas, wildfire mitigation measures (class A roofing, noncombustible decks and siding, requirements for defensible space and residential sprinklers), required plat notes on wildfire hazard and living‑with‑wildlife covenants, use of bear‑resistant garbage containers, revegetation and weed management plans approved by the Missoula County Weed District, and either annexation into the Seeley Lake Rural Fire District or demonstration of an organized structure‑fire response provider before final plat.

Sanitation and water: the proposal relies on a new individual well and septic system; the well would be an exempt well limited to county allocation rules (10 acre‑feet per year, max 35 gpm). Swart said the planned well isolation zone currently encroaches onto neighboring properties; conditions require written consent for encroachment or relocation of the well on final plat.

Public comment: some neighbors opposed lifting the covenant and expressed concern about wildlife, steep‑slope development, and expectations that the property would remain undeveloped; the Missoula Conservation District opposed the subdivision citing potential habitat and watershed impacts. Clearwater Resource Council supported the request. The board concluded the proposal complied with subdivision and growth‑policy criteria and voted to approve both the variance from the through‑lot prohibition and removal of the covenant subject to the stated conditions.

Why it matters: lifting the covenant and approving a one‑lot subdivision permits one new residence near Placid Lake while imposing conditions to protect steep slopes, water and sanitation systems, and wildlife and wildfire concerns.

Next steps: applicants must satisfy the stated conditions prior to final plat recording and secure required sanitation approvals and any required annexation.