Michael and Cassidy Grewell of Joliet, Montana, working with Montana Land Reliance, would like to place a conservation easement on approximately 1,644 acres of property in Yellowstone County and Carbon County located approximately 6 miles south of Laurel, east of Silesia, with Cottonwood Creek Road running through the property proposed as the conservation area.  The property is currently used for grazing and other agricultural purposes. A full list of allowed uses is in the easement document, Exhibit B, Permitted uses and Practices. There is wildlife on the land and in the easement document there are allowances for some hunting. There is an area in the conservation easement that currently has agricultural buildings. Those are to remain. The easement will also allow a single family home with a maximum of 2,500 square feet, measured around the perimeter of the building, and a maximum of 3 stories.

MCA 76-2-206 states: "In order to minimize conflict with local comprehensive planning, all conservation easements shall be subject to review prior to recording by the appropriate local planning authority for the county within which the land lies. It shall be the responsibility of the entity acquiring the conservation easement to present the proposed conveyance of the conservation easement to the appropriate local planning authority. The local planning authority shall have 90 days from receipt of the proposed conveyance within which to review and to comment upon the relationship of the proposed conveyance to comprehensive planning for the area. Such comments will not be binding on the proposed grantor or grantee but shall be merely advisory in nature. The proposed conveyance may be recorded after comments have been received from the local planning authority or the local planning authority has indicated in writing it will have no comments or 90 days have elapsed, whichever occurs first."

This area is located within an undeveloped part of the county and there are no area-specific plans that impact this property. The County Growth Policy does recognize agricultural uses as being important to the economy of Yellowstone County and has been a dominating economic driver for the County. None of the land in the proposed easement is located in a zoning district. The Planning Board should review the proposal and provide comments, if any. 

Planning staff recommends the Board review and provide comment on the proposed conservation easement in accordance with Montana Code Annotated (MCA) 76-6-206. There is no formal action required other than to consider the item and provide comment, if any.

Not applicable.

The Planning Board may:

• Provide comments on the proposed easement; or
• Not provide comments on the proposed easement.

Not Applicable