The Planning Board recommends to City Council that the preliminary plat of High Sierra Subdivision, 23rd Filing be conditionally approved and the Findings of Fact adopted as presented in the staff report.

On July 1, 2025, Sanbell, on behalf of High Sierra II, Inc., applied for preliminary major plat approval for High Sierra Subdivision, 23rd Filing. The proposed subdivision creates 38 lots for development. The subject property is generally located north of Annadale Road and west of West Bonito Loop. The property is zoned N3 - Suburban Neighborhood Residential. The land is currently vacant.

VARIANCES
No variances are requested.

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL

1. To minimize the effects on local services, 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.
2. 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.
3. The final plat shall comply with all requirements of the City of Billings Subdivision Regulations, 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: May 15, 2025
• Preliminary Plat application submitted to Planning Division: July 1, 2025
• Departmental Review Meeting: July 17, 2025
• Preliminary Plat Resubmittal: July 24, 2025
• Planning Board Plat Review: August 12, 2025
• Planning Board Public Hearing: August 26, 2025
• Preliminary Plat to City Council: September 22, 2025
• 60 Working-Day Preliminary Plat Review period ends: September 25, 2025

PLAT INFORMATION

• General Location: north of Annadale Road and west of West Bonito Loop
• Legal Description: Lot 6A-1, Block 19 of the Amended Plat of Lot 1A1-A1, Block 33 of High Sierra Subdivision, 14th Filing & Lot 6A, Block 19 of High Sierra Subdivision, 21st Filing
• Owner/Subdivider: High Sierra II, Inc.
• Engineer/Surveyor: Sanbell
• Existing Zoning: N3 - Suburban Neighborhood Residential 
• Existing Land Use: vacant
• Proposed Zoning: N3 - Suburban Neighborhood Residential 
• Proposed Land Use: Residential
• Gross & Net Area: 12.41 Acres gross / 9.34 Acres net
• Lot Size: 
  • Minimum: 7,023 square feet
  • Maximum: 86,496 square feet
• Parkland Requirements: 0.809 Acres, provided by cash-in-lieu contribution

Traffic Impact Study overview:

A Traffic Impact Study (TIS) was completed for High Sierra Subdivision, 23rd Filing. All required intersection improvement contributions identified therein shall be completed by the Subdivider at the Subdivider’s expense. The percent of traffic contributions to the following intersections shall be in accordance with the traffic study:

Intersection	% Contribution
Annandale Road/ Riveroaks Drive	0.79 %
Annandale Road/ St. Andrews Drive	0.88 %
Sierra Granda Boulevard/ High Sierra Boulevard	0.17 %
Sierra Granda Boulevard/ Gleneagle Boulevard	0.61 %
Alkali Creek/ Skyway Drive	0.25 %
Wicks Lane/ Skyway Drive	0.26 %
Wicks Lane/ High Sierra Boulevard	0.17 %
Wicks Lane/ Fantan Street	0.09 %
Wicks Lane/ Governors Boulevard	0.58 %
Wicks Lane/ Lake Hills Drive	0.17 %
Wicks Lane/ St. Andrews Drive	0.70 %

The cash contributions shall be based on the percentage of traffic contributions to the intersections based on the total cost of an intersection as determined. The contributions will be made at the time of final plat, as described in the SIA under heading III.D, Traffic Control Devices.
 

PLANNING BOARD PLAT REVIEW - AUGUST 12, 2025
Planner Hunter Kelly made his presentation on High Sierra Subdivision, 23rd Filing. At the conclusion of his presentation, Hunter informed the Planning Board of recent changes in state law regarding parkland contribution. Hunter informed them that due to the passage of SB 553 in May, the cash-in-lieu donation has been prioritized in the sense that should this mechanism be chosen to address the parkland dedication, local governments shall accept the donation. The Planning Board briefly discussed the merits and complications of this policy change. Gary Owen, an agent of Sanbel, came up to speak on the parkland contributions as it relates to High Sierra Subdivision. The agent informed the Planning Board that this filing is part of a master planned community, which has dedicated parkland in previous filings. The Planning Board had no further questions for the applicant, nor for staff.

PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING - AUGUST 26, 2025
Planner Hunter Kelly made his presentation on High Sierra Subdivision, 23rd Filing. Hunter made himself available for questions at the conclusion of his presentation. Board member Nordel inquired if the roads will be paved. Staff answered in the affirmative. President Gravgaard opened up the public hearing. Gary Owen, the applicant's agent, came up to speak about the project and present himself for questions, if the Board had any. The Board did not have any further questions. No members of the public made comments. President Gravgaard closed the public hearing. Board member Stephenson made a motion to recommend approval to the City Council and accept Findings of Fact adopted as presented in the staff report. The motion was seconded by Board member Woods. The motion was unanimously approved.

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 September 25, 2025. State and City subdivision regulations also require that preliminary plats 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

The preliminary plat of this subdivision will have no financial 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 district/s, 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.