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Commission sets May 27 public hearing for Moose Bay/Wind Based subdivision amid groundwater and fire concerns
Summary
The commission set a May 27 public hearing for the Moose Bay (Wind Based) preliminary plat after staff said the developer submitted additional technical materials; neighbors and commissioners raised groundwater, wildfire protection and traffic safety concerns during discussion.
The Anaconda‑Deer Lodge County Commission voted to set a public hearing for May 27 to consider preliminary plat approval for a large subdivision (referred to in staff materials as the Wind Based/Moose Bay Road Subdivision), after staff said the developer had submitted follow‑up technical materials.
County planner Carl told the commission the planning board had voted 5–3 not to recommend the preliminary plat but that the developer supplied additional information — including a follow‑up engineer study and a revised DEQ submittal — that the planning department posted to the public document center. "We will be summarizing that at the onset of the public hearing, whenever that date is scheduled," Carl said.
Several commissioners and a caller on the phone expressed concern that the May 27 date leaves little time for independent review of issues raised at the planning board hearing. Commissioner Barnett asked whether any technical analyses had come from outside the developer’s team; Carl replied that the department’s record contains the developer’s submitted materials and that third‑party technical objections had not been submitted to staff.
Public commenter Robin Harris (on the phone) listed four priority concerns: potential effects on the aquifer, wildfire mitigation and available water for fire response, traffic safety at a blind Kearns access, and whether outside technical reviews had been filed. Developer Joe Booth, introduced at the meeting, said his team had a third‑party engineer and that the plans include five fire hydrants and state review: "We have a third party engineer who's not gonna put her license on the line to rush anything," Booth said, adding that the fire system was designed to county standards and approved by the fire department.
The commission voted to set the preliminary plat public hearing for May 27; staff noted the date is a suggested earliest date and can be moved if the commission desires additional time for review.
What happens next: the record and developer submittals will be summarized at the public hearing; commissioners said they expect public comment on groundwater, fire protection and access safety issues.
