ADLC Planning Board tables Wraith Hill campground permit over missing fire, water and road plans

Anaconda Deer Lodge County’s Planning Board voted unanimously on May 11 to table a major development permit (MDP 26-001) from Wraith Hill Holdings, LLLP (Robert and Michelle Snyder) that would establish a small campground of four cabins and eight geodesic domes near Georgetown Lake.

Planning Director Carl Hamming told the board staff would recommend conditional approval only if the applicants provided a completed engineered stormwater/grading plan, an approved fire plan coordinated with the Georgetown Lake Volunteer Fire Department (GLVFD), and required DEQ approvals for water and sanitation. “The fire plan has not been fully developed yet,” Hamming said during his staff presentation, summarizing outstanding agency comments.

The Snyders described the proposal as a family‑run, low‑impact hospitality project called Prospector’s Camp at Wraith Hill, limited to 12 rental units and two occupants per unit (24 people maximum). “Our goal is to preserve the character and the legacy of the land while creating a quiet, low‑impact outdoor hospitality experience,” Michelle Snyder said. The applicants said the domes would be dry (no plumbing) and that shared bathhouses would be connected to a public water supply and subject to DEQ licensing. They also pledged quiet hours, no RV hookups or tent camping, and on‑site stewardship and fuel‑mitigation work with local responders.

Engineers working for the applicants described preliminary fire‑protection options based on cistern storage and pump hookups commonly used for subdivision fire protection. “What they initially proposed was 30,000 [gallons]” as an assumed cistern sizing for discussion, engineer Sarah Jones said; she and other consultants said final sizing would be calculated from regulatory standards and approved occupancy figures in later engineering submittals.

Neighbors and HOA representatives raised multiple concerns during the public hearing, including potential impacts to private road maintenance on Lagger Gulch Road and Wraith Hill Lane, increased traffic through a residential neighborhood, water‑supply and aquifer drawdown risks, septic system performance and groundwater protection, emergency access and evacuation during wildfire, and whether the recreation easement and HOA covenants would be affected. Tim Davis, president of the Wraith Hill Homeowners Association, said the association had not had sufficient time to study the proposal and requested the board allow more time for HOA review.

Several technical commenters urged baseline hydrogeologic and pump tests before permits are issued. Kathryn Norris, who identified herself as a hydrogeologist, asked for a future hearing that includes the fire plan and DEQ submittals; Nathan Korb, who works in water, said the local aquifer is small and urged careful study of wastewater volumes and drawdown.

Board members framed their decision around application completeness. Colleen Riley and others said the packet lacked the critical fire plan and clear road/ROW and maintenance agreements; Frank Fitzpatrick pressed for plat maps and clearer engineering details. Several board members said tabling the item would let the applicants return with the specific documents the board and staff requested rather than risk an incomplete recommendation to the County Commission.

On a motion by Frank Fitzpatrick, seconded by Lorelei Saffle, the Planning Board unanimously voted 7-0 to table MDP 26-001 and asked the applicants to return with an updated submission addressing the fire plan, engineered stormwater/grading, DEQ water/septic approvals or studies (including any required pump tests), and documentation addressing road access and maintenance responsibilities with the HOA. The board noted that any formal conditions would be applied if a later recommendation for approval were forwarded to the County Commission.

Next steps: the applicants will prepare the requested engineering and agency coordination materials and may return to the Planning Board for a subsequent meeting; the County Commission will hold its own public hearing if Planning recommends approval in the future.