Commissioners approve Shriber Meadows preliminary plat after narrowing stream buffers amid public concern

Lincoln County commissioners voted on June 18 to approve preliminary plats for the Shriber Meadows North and Shriber Meadows South subdivisions, parcels adjacent to Shriber Lake about 23 miles south of Libby, after modifying several planning conditions and narrowing recommended stream buffers.

Planning staff member Jesse told commissioners the planning board had recommended 36 conditions for Shriber Meadows North and 34 for Shriber Meadows South. Commissioners approved an amendment to condition 16 that requires a geotechnical evaluation for any building setback that deviates from the International Building Code standard (IBC 1808.7), while allowing a conforming setback to be shown on the final plat so buyers know the intended safe building locations.

The most contested issue was a recommended buffer for Shriber Creek. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) had urged a 150-foot no-disturbance vegetated buffer plus an additional 50-foot building setback on either side of the creek (200 feet total). The developer proposed a smaller protection zone: a 100-foot no-disturbance buffer with a 30-foot building setback. County planner Jesse summarized USGS stream-gauge data he reviewed, noting 95 gauge readings with three records of no flow; FWP had continued to classify the reach as perennial.

Public commenters including Maggie Craig and Planning Board member Roberto McCanns urged the larger buffer, warned that the corridor is important to wildlife and questioned hydrologic findings. Craig told the commission she had contacted MDT, DEQ, DNRC and others and said she was concerned about pumps installed by contractors that she believes may have dewatered the outlet and risked an illegal taking of water. Roberto McCanns argued that tightening the buffer sacrifices wildlife corridor space and urged that roads not be allowed through the buffer.

Developer representatives and county staff argued the site-specific hydrology and the IBC standard supported a smaller mapping approach, and proposed marking the required buffer and setbacks clearly on the plat. Commissioners voted to adopt the developer-proposed 100-foot no-disturbance vegetated buffer with an additional 30-foot building setback along Shriber Creek, and approved comparable changes for related subdivision conditions. Recorded voice votes show the buffer-change motions carried despite recorded objections.

Commissioners also added a comparable 100-foot vegetated buffer plus 30-foot building setback around delineated wetlands on the plat, then voted to approve the preliminary plats for both Shriber Meadows North and South. Final plat approval remains conditional on the developers meeting all the adopted conditions.

The public record at the hearing included allegations of unpermitted construction and earlier cease-and-desist orders; several commenters said those issues warrant further investigation by Conservation District, DNRC, DEQ and MDT before final approvals. County staff noted that resource-agency permits (for example, a 310 permit from the Conservation District) are required at the construction stage and said some concerns could be revisited if those permits indicate different stream classifications or impacts.

What happens next: the preliminary-platted lots are approved with the conditions as amended; developers must complete the required conditions, permits and any required geotechnical work before final plat approval.