Rich County commissioners approved the preliminary plat for Big Bear Estates, a proposed six-lot subdivision immediately north of the existing Lakota subdivision, after the applicant received a setback variance from the county’s variance board.

Mitch Wilson, the county’s planning administrator, said the developer submitted will-serve letters from the sewer district and Garden City water system and had Department of Transportation access approval for the highway entrance. During public comment and the planning review, nearby Lakota residents raised concerns about wetlands, wildlife habitat, beach access and encroachment. The developer provided a wetland delineation and said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a jurisdictional determination; the county engineer reviewed and agreed with that delineation.

Commissioners and staff discussed operational issues including driveway access for Lot 1 and sanitation options. Commissioner questions prompted the developer to agree to modify Lot 1 access and to include space near the entrance for a community dumpster or a sanitation pad rather than requiring individual cans to be driven down an internal leg of the site; commissioners said adding a dumpster area near the highway entrance would be easier to service. The commission made the approval contingent on addressing access/sanitation layout during the remaining preliminary work.

A motion to approve the preliminary plat carried unanimously. Commissioners asked staff to coordinate mosquito-treatment plans for on-site ponds and to have the developer adjust the lot layout to provide practical sanitation access and avoid direct lot access from the highway.