Rosewater Subdivision, a development planned north of Rose Crossing around a 27-acre manmade lake, will be the focus of a public hearing on Wednesday before the Flathead County Planning Board.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell.

Developer Bill Tanner of Bigfork, with Score Management, intends to build the 58-lot subdivision in two phases around the large recreational water feature that will be one big lake with a long island dividing it essentially into two halves.

The Planning Board will consider a planned unit development that will allow homes to be clustered around the lake. Preliminary plat approval also is on the agenda.

The property is zoned SAG-5 — suburban agricultural with a 5-acre minimum lot size — and is located a quarter-mile west of Whitefish Stage Road on the north side of Rose Crossing. Rosewater would feature 91 acres of open space with 46 single-family lots and 12 townhouses on the 154-acre site.

The lots would use five proposed onsite wastewater treatment systems and tap into Evergreen Water and Sewer District for a water supply.

The farmland most recently has produced winter wheat and canola with an irrigation system drawing water from the nearby Whitefish River. Tanner has an irrigation right, with a water line and pump that are accessed by a 10-foot-wide easement over a neighbor’s property to the east.

As part of the proposed subdivision, Tanner will request a change in use for the water right to fill and maintain the ponds, and the water right eventually would be transferred to the Rosewater Homeowners Association. Much of the irrigation system, such as the pivots and standpipes, along with the easement, would be removed if the preliminary plat is approved.

Planner Alex Hogle said the Planning Office has received letters from some neighbors concerned about the potential noise and how the lake may affect the underlying aquifer.

The county doesn’t have a noise ordinance, Hogle said, which makes it difficult to place regulations on noise from motorized watercraft. Tanner plans to mitigate the noise by placing the lake in the middle of the property and building a berm to lessen the noise.

Rosewater will be marketed as a water-skiing subdivision. Specially made lakes provide smoother conditions for water skiers and such developments are popular throughout the United States.