Staff recommends the Planning Board recommend to City Council the preliminary plat of Trestles Subdivision, 1st Filing, be conditionally approved and the Findings of Fact adopted as presented in the staff report.

On August 1, 2025, Sanbell, the agent for the applicant, applied for preliminary major plat approval for Trestles Subdivision, 1st Filing. The proposed subdivision creates 337 lots, with 330 of the lots for residential development, 6 are private parks or storm water facilities, and 1 is a remaining lot for future development. The subject property is generally located west of 70th Street West and north of Rimrock Road. The property is zoned N3 – Suburban Neighborhood Residential, N1 – First Neighborhood Residential, and P1 - Parks and Open Space.

VARIANCES REQUESTED
No variances from the City Subdivision Regulations have been requested.

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
Pursuant to Section 76-3-608(4), MCA, the following conditions are recommended to reasonably minimize potential adverse impacts identified within the Findings of Fact:

1. To provide needed private utilities to the residents of this subdivision, prior to final plat approval, the applicant will provide easements as requested by private utility companies and show them on the final plat.
2. To provide locations and safe delivery and retrieval of individuals mail, prior to final plat approval, the applicant will coordinate with the USPS to determine location of Central Box Units 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, rules, 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 29, 2025
• Preliminary plat application submitted to Planning Division on August 1, 2025
• Departmental review meeting August 14, 2025
• Subdivision resubmittal August 21, 2025
• Planning Board plat review September 9, 2025
• Planning Board public hearing September 23, 2025
• Preliminary plat to City Council October 27, 2025
• 60 working-day preliminary plat review period ends October 27, 2025

PLAT INFORMATION

General location:                                West of 70th Street West and north of Rimrock Road

Legal Description:                              Lots 15 and 16, Block 3: of Copper Ridge Subdivision, 7th Filing and Lot 15A, Block 3: of Copper Ridge Subdivision 8th Filing located in Section 26, Township 1 North, Range 24 East, Principal Meridian Montana

Owner/Subdivider:                             WH Copper Ridge 54 LLC

Engineer and Surveyor:                      Sanbell

Existing Zoning:                                 N3, N1, and P1

Existing land use:                                Vacant, formerly Agricultural 

Proposed land use:                              Residential

Gross and Net area:                             69.443 acres / 46.784 acres

Proposed number of lots:                    337 

Lot size:                                               Max:    1,095,772 square feet / 25.16 acres
                                                            Min:     1,969 square feet

Parkland requirements:                       Parkland dedication requirement is 2.698  acres. The applicant is providing 10.554  acres.


TRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY - SUMMARY

The subdivider shall furnish and install all necessary traffic control devices within and adjacent to the subdivision. Traffic control devices shall include all necessary signing, striping, and channelization devices to properly complete the implementation of the proposed street construction.

A traffic impact study has been completed for Trestles. 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 accessibility study:

The studied intersections are anticipated to operate similarly to existing conditions at the time this filing is fully built out.

Rimrock Road and 70th Street West – 10.67 percent
Rimrock Road & 62nd Street West – 10.83 percent
Rimrock Road & 54th Street West – 8.08 percent
70th Street West & Colton Blvd – 2.98 percent
70th Street West & Grand Avenue – 2.28 percent
Grand Avenue & 62nd Street West – 4.12 percent
Grand Avenue & 56th Street West – 4.47 percent
Grand Avenue & 54th Street West – 4.12 percent

The percentages are based on 330 total buildable lots in the First Filing.

The contributions for Trestles Subdivision, 1st Filing, (330- residential lots) shall be made prior to final plat approval. Contribution amounts are tied to the cost of improving an intersection. For 2025, this amount is set at $450,000 and will be reevaluated annually. Each contribution is calculated as a percentage of the intersection improvement cost. No building permits or private contract permits will be issued until subdivider has made the cash contribution to the City. 
 

On September 9, 2025, the Planning Board held a plat review of the proposed Trestles Subdivision. Staff gave a presentation about the proposed subdivision. The Planning Board president opened the floor to questions for the planning staff. There was a question about the size of lots. Staff explained that lot size is now based on lot frontage requirements and not square footage of lots. There was a question about what is allowed on the lots that are narrow. Dominic Neameyer from Sanbell stated the plan on the narrow lots is for townhomes. The common wall will be on the property line. He added that there is a large green space between existing homes in Copper Ridge and the new proposed smaller lots. This green space is to provide a buffer between the existing homes and the new homes.

The Planning Board members brought up the concern with the traffic on Rimrock Road and how the new subdivision, and continued growth in general, will impact existing infrastructure and the existing homes in and around new development. Another topic of concern to the Planning Board is the impact on schools, with nothing being provided by new development to mitigate the overcrowding. Board members stated that most of the schools in School District #2 are over capacity and each new subdivision adds to the overcrowding. The board stated there needs to be something done to mitigate those impacts to provide schools with funding needed to handle overcrowding. One much needed item would be a new high school, according to the Planning Board.

There has been one comment received from a neighbor, which is attached to this staff report. 

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 on October 27, 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

This plat will have no fiscal impact on the City/County 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.