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Columbia Falls residents press council over Tamarack Meadows ponds, council says county and DEQ now have jurisdiction
Summary
Residents told the Columbia Falls City Council that retention ponds and extensive vegetation removal in the Tamarack Meadows subdivision were not clearly shown at earlier public hearings and urged the city to act; city staff said final-plat authority and environmental permits now rest with Flathead County and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Columbia Falls residents told the City Council on Aug. (meeting date not specified) they were blindsided by retention ponds and tree removal at the Tamarack Meadows subdivision and pressed the city to intervene, while city staff said the municipality no longer holds planning jurisdiction for the site.
At a public update on the 103-lot Tamarack Meadows preliminary plat, City Manager Eric said the city approved the preliminary plat years earlier and in June 2024 relinquished extraterritorial planning and zoning jurisdiction outside city limits under a state law referenced in the meeting (identified in the record as Senate Bill 382). He told the council the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has issued the subdivision’s environmental permits and that Flathead County will review whether…
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