Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Missoula County approves TS Overlook minor subdivision with riparian protections
Summary
Missoula County commissioners voted to approve the TS Overlook minor subdivision, dividing 24.56 acres into three lots with recorded riparian protections along O'Keefe Creek, conditions on wells and septic, and required emergency-access measures.
Missoula County commissioners approved the TS Overlook minor subdivision after staff recommended approval based on findings of fact and conditions designed to protect agricultural and natural resources.
Planner Katie Reer presented the proposal, saying the applicants, Trent and Sally Looker, seek to divide 24.56 acres west of Highway 10 and south of Pulp Mill Road into three lots. She said the lots would average roughly one home per 8–9 acres; no variances were requested.
Reer described a riparian corridor along O'Keefe Creek on lot C that will be protected as a recorded no-build, no-disturbance zone. She also noted lot-specific measures: new domestic wells for lots A and B, the existing well on lot C producing about 15 gallons per minute, septic systems for new lots, and a recorded road-maintenance agreement that runs with the land.
Staff said soils are non-prime farmland and the site has been used historically for grazing, and that the subdivision complies with state law and Missoula County subdivision regulations, including the 2019 Missoula Area land use element. The county’s flood administrator determined a full flood study was unnecessary due to the riparian protection measures and an applicant flood analysis.
Developer representative Ken Jenkins, Montana Northwest Company, told commissioners he agreed with the recommended conditions and stood ready to answer questions.
A commissioner moved to approve the subdivision based on the staff report and subject to recommended conditions; a second was recorded, there was no public comment on the item, and the motion carried on a recorded vote in favor.
The approval includes conditions addressing water-right filings and septic/well notifications, required emergency vehicle turnaround standards for long driveways, protections for the O'Keefe Creek riparian buffer, and a requirement that NFPA 13D residential sprinklers be considered during building permit review to mitigate wildfire risk. The county record will show the riparian resource management plan and riparian protection areas on the final plat.
Next steps include recordation of the final plat and compliance with the conditions of approval before any future building permits are issued.
