Council approves three-lot subdivision off Colorado Ave.
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 years AGO
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | October 23, 2018 2:11 PM
A half dozen neighbors of a small subdivision planned on 1.7 acres off Colorado Avenue expressed concerns last week to City Council about the impact it could have on them.
Several said the high groundwater in the neighborhood makes adding more homes along with impervious surface a concern, and they also worried about fire service access to the heavily wooded property.
Owners of the property are requesting a three lot subdivision on what is currently a vacant lot that accesses off Colorado Avenue by a private road that is planned to be extended to the south to access the new lots. The address of the property is 415 1/2 Colorado Avenue.
Greg Sandberg said he has concerns about a fire engine being able to access the property and whether stormwater run off would impact his property.
“I think they’re using the three single family homes as a ploy to get around development restrictions,” he said.
Gay Osborn said water isn’t able to drain in the area, and she expressed concerns about what adding more homes to the neighborhood would do.
“There’s water in our yards and that’s great if you want to wash your lawn mower,” she said.
Many neighbors also said they didn’t feel multi-family housing would be appropriate for the property.
Eric Mulcahy, with Sands Surveying, represented the property owner on the subdivision, saying that no multi-family is planned.
“There would be a note on plat that would restrict it to single-family development,” he said. “The only way that could be changed would to be to come back to Council.”
Mulcahy said only three lots will allow for the stormwater to be managed right on the property.
Council ultimately approved the subdivision for the property.
Fire Marshal Travis Tveidt reviewed the proposal and said there would be adequate access to the proposed lots with a hammer-head turn-around, and said that any homes more than 150 feet from an existing or new fire hydrant will be required to have fire sprinklers, according to the planning department staff report. The requirement was added as a condition of approval.
In addition, a stormwater management plan will have to be reviewed by the city Public Works Department prior to final plat.
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