Staff recommends the Planning Board recommend to the City Council that the preliminary plat of Annafeld Subdivision, 6th Filing, be conditionally approved and the Findings of Fact adopted as presented in the staff report.

On December 2, 2024, Sanbel, on behalf of McCall Development, Inc., applied for Preliminary Major Plat approval for Annafeld Subdivision, 6th Filing. The proposed subdivision creates 87 lots for development over three (3) phases. The subject property is generally located south of Elysian Road and east of East Lane. The property is zoned PUD - Planned Unit Development. The land is currently vacant. There is a concurrent Annexation Petition (AN-24-05) for the portions of this subdivision still outside city limits that is being executed at the same time as this preliminary plat.

VARIANCES
No variances are requested.

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

1. Prior to Final Plat approval, the applicant shall provide names for the streets to the Land Management Coordinator for approval and list these approved street names on the final plat, Subdivision Improvements Agreement (SIA), and other supporting documents. 
2. To minimize the effects on local service prior to final plat approval, the applicant will coordinate with the USPS to determine what type of delivery system is preferred and to locate and provide the correct amount of space for safely delivering the mail to the residents.
3. Minor changes may be made in the SIA and final documents, as requested by the Planning, Legal or Public Works Departments to clarify the documents and bring them into the standard acceptable format.
4. The final plat shall comply with all requirements of the City of Billings Subdivision Regulations, as well as the rules, regulations, policies, and resolutions of the City of Billings, and the laws and Administrative Rules of the State of Montana.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY
Pre-Application Meeting: September 26, 2024
Preliminary Plat application submitted to Planning Division: December 2, 2024
Departmental Review Meeting: December 19, 2024
Preliminary Plat Resubmittal: December 26, 2024
Planning Board Plat Review: January 14, 2025
Planning Board Public Hearing: January 28, 2025
Preliminary Plat to City Council: February 24, 2025
60 Working-Day Preliminary Plat Review period ends: February 28, 2025

PLAT INFORMATION
General Location: South of Elysian Road and east of East Lane
Legal Description: Lot 4A, Block 27 & Lot 5A-1, Block 24 of Annafeld Subdivision, 4th Filing and Lot 10, Block 26 and Lot 15, Block 22 of Annafeld Subdivision, 5th Filing
Owner/Subdivider: McCall Development, Inc.
Engineer/Surveyor: Sanbel
Existing Zoning: PUD - Planned Unit Development
Existing Land Use: Vacant
Proposed Zoning: PUD - Planned Unit Development
Proposed Land Use: Residential
Gross & Net Area: 13.54 Acres / 8.49 Acres
Lot Size:  Phases: Subdivision will be completed in three (3) phases. 
Parkland Requirements: 0.93 Acres Required, 0.49 Acres of private parkland provided with this plat. The parkland dedication has been met through the dedication of private park area within Annafeld Subdivision, Sixth Filing and with additional public and private park dedication with Annafeld Subdivision, First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Filings. A park plan will be provided when the plat is presented to explain the park provisions.

Traffic Impact Study - Summary

• Development is 49 single-family lots and 22 townhomes in Phase 1 and an additional 15 single-family lots in Phase 2 generating a total of 762 estimated average weekday trips in the full buildout.
• Studied intersections were:
  • Mullowney Ln & Midland Rd/S Frontage Rd
  • South Frontage Rd & East Ln
  • Elysian Rd & S Frontage Rd
  • Elysian Rd & East Ln
  • Elysian Rd & Walter Creek Blvd
  • Mullowney Ln & Elysian Rd
• Conclusions and Recommendations:
  • Study intersections are anticipated to operate similarly to existing conditions at the time of full buildout.
  • A northbound right-turn lane is warranted at the Elysian Rd/S Frontage Rd intersection, and a westbound left-turn lane is projected to be warranted at East Ln & S Frontage Rd by 2028. The warranted turn lanes would have little to no impact on capacity operations. These improvements are on streets under Montana Department of Transportation jurisdiction. The City has sent the information to MDT for consideration and comment.
• Intersection contributions (to be spent at their respective intersection at a future date) are as follows:
  • Mullowney Ln & Midland Rd/S Frontage Rd = $7,875
  • Mullowney Ln & Elysian Rd = $9,360
  • Elysian Rd & East Ln = $4,500
  • Elysian Rd & S Frontage Rd = $3,555
  • S Frontage Rd & East Ln = $1,575

There are no stakeholder responses at this time. Stakeholder input will be received at a public hearing scheduled for this subdivision on January 28, 2025.

Planning Board Plat Review - January 14, 2025
Planner Hunter Kelly presented his findings regarding the Subdivision and opened his time for questions or comment. Boardmember Jim Ronquillo asked if the City presently had utilities at the location. Hunter responded by stating the current available connections and the proposed connections to water & sewer mains as part of this subdivision are all available for extension. The applicant's agent, Gary Owen of Sanbel, was invited to speak. Boardmember Dennie Stephenson asked Gary if this filing of Annafeld Subdivision would contain any significant differences to the other filings. Gary responded by saying this filing will be identical to the previous filings. The Board had no more questions and closed the discussion.

In accordance with state law, the City Council has 60 working days to act upon this major preliminary plat. The 60-working-day review period for the proposed plat ends February 28, 2025. State and City subdivision regulations also require that preliminary plat be reviewed using specific criteria, as stated within this report. The City may not unreasonably restrict an owner's ability to develop land if the subdivider provides evidence that any identified adverse effects can be mitigated. Within the 60-working-day review period, the City Council is required to:

1. Approve;
2. Conditionally Approve; or
3. Deny the Preliminary Plat

This preliminary plat will have no fiscal impact on the Planning Division. 

One of the purposes of the City's subdivision review process is to identify potential negative effects of property being subdivided. Negative effects that are identified become the subdivider's responsibility to mitigate. Various City departments, private service/utility providers and the affected school districts, have reviewed this application and provided input on effects and mitigation. The Findings of Fact, which are presented as an attachment, discuss potential negative impacts of the subdivision and conditions of approval are recommended as measures to further mitigate any impacts. In this case, there were found to be minimal impacts from this proposed subdivision.