Columbia Falls residents press council over Tamarack Meadows ponds, council says county and DEQ now have jurisdiction

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 conditions tied to the preliminary plat have been met before issuing a final plat.

Residents contested that account. “Public comment really is a joke” when key materials are missing from the packet, resident Anne Halter said, arguing that retention ponds and cleared vegetation were not adequately included in the materials presented at earlier hearings. Scott Lotman, who said his backyard overlooks Garnier Creek, told the council the ponds and associated construction have “destroyed the green land” and caused sediment to enter the creek.

Resident Julie Mitchell cited the council’s recorded approval document (referred to in the meeting packet as “resolution 18 91”) and condition 18, which the packet states requires the open-space buffer adjacent to Garner (Garnier) Creek to “remain undeveloped in a natural state.” Mitchell also referenced Montana code 76-3-615 and contended that significant plan changes require a new public hearing.

City Attorney Justin told the council he and staff have reviewed the matter with county planners and the city’s contract planner and described condition 18 as a plat note that must appear on the final plat; he said retention ponds and stormwater drainage installations are part of the infrastructure that must be in place before a final plat is issued. “Those pieces of infrastructure… have to be completed prior to final plat,” he said, adding that the county will check whether preliminary-plat conditions were satisfied before issuing final approval.

City staff said DEQ and the Flathead County Conservation District have been notified of citizen concerns and are assessing possible environmental impacts. Officials urged residents to raise issues directly with county and state reviewers while the agencies complete their checks.

The council did not take formal regulatory action on the subdivision during the meeting; staff pledged to provide historical materials and to cooperate with county and state officials reviewing the site. Citizens and some council members urged ongoing pressure on county and DEQ officials, and several speakers encouraged neighbors to attend county hearings because the city’s extraterritorial authority was removed by state law.

Next steps noted in the meeting record include the city making historical planning documents available to county and DEQ staff and the county’s review of whether final-plat conditions—such as plat notes and the stormwater drainage plan—have been met.