On November 2, 2015, Blueline Engineering on behalf of VTR Properties, LLC, applied for preliminary major plat approval for Pinerock Subdivision, 1^st Filing.  The proposed plat creates 48 lots for single-family residences on a 118-acre parcel of land. The subject property is generally located on the west side of Highway 87 North (Hwy 87 N), directly across from Hidden Lake Subdivision.  The property is outside of zoning. The Yellowstone County Board of Planning will review the plat at this meeting and conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.  The proposal will go to the Board of County Commissioners for action on January 26, 2016.
 

Staff recommends that the Planning Board recommend that the Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners conditionally approve the preliminary plat of Pinerock Subdivision, 1^st Filing and adopt the Findings of Fact as presented in the staff report.

PROPOSED CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
Planning staff recommends the following conditions of approval:
 

1. To mitigate impacts on local services, prior to final plat approval the subdivider shall create a Rural Special Improvement District – Maintenance (RSID-M) for maintenance of the new internal roads, the dry hydrant system, and the 5-foot wide trail corridor included in the road right-of-way within the subdivision.
2. To ensure access and provision of water supply for fire fighting purposes, prior to final plat approval a recordable easement document shall be provided for the dry hydrant system.
3. To ensure protection of public health and safety, prior to final plat approval, the developer will provide written documentation that the subdivision has been added to the Shepherd Fire Department Service Area and the Shepherd Fire Department has inspected and approved the installation of the dry hydrant system.
4. To minimize impacts to the natural environment and comply with local and state regulations, prior to final plat approval the developer will receive approval from the MDEQ for the proposed cisterns, septic systems and stormwater drainage plans for the subdivision.
5. To minimize the effects on the natural environment, prior to final plat approval a weed management plan and property inspection shall be approved by the County Weed Department.
6. To minimize the effects on the natural environment and to inform future property owners of possible wildlife habitat, prior to final plat approval the applicant will include in the Conditions That Run With The Land Section of the SIA information from the Environmental Assessment about the eight Species of Concern identified by the Montana Natural Heritage Program through Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the need to be aware these species may be in the area and as much habitat as possible should be preserved.
7. To provide for the installation of the private utilities within the subdivision, prior to final plat approval the applicant will provide easement documents for the easements shown on the plat for the private utility companies.
8. Minor changes may be made in the SIA and final documents, as requested by the Planning and/or Public Works Departments to clarify the documents and bring them into the standard acceptable format.
9. The final plat shall comply with all requirements of the County Subdivision Regulations, rules, regulations, policies, and resolutions of the Yellowstone County, and the laws and Administrative Rules of the State of Montana.

No variances have been requested from the Yellowstone County Subdivision Regulations for this proposal.
 

• A pre-application meeting was held on June 25, 2015 to discuss the proposal.
• The preliminary plat application was submitted to the Planning Division on November 2.
• A departmental review meeting was conducted on November 19.
• The preliminary plat was resubmitted with revisions based on department reviews on November 27.
• The Planning Board will review the plat on December 8.
• The Planning Board will conduct a public hearing on January 12, 2016 and forward a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.
• The Board of County Commission will consider the preliminary plat on January 26.
• The 60 working-day preliminary plat review period ends January 27.

The proposed subdivision would create 48 lots for single-family residences on the west side of Hwy 87 N across from Hidden Lake Subdivision.  The property is outside of zoning and is surrounded by agricultural grazing land on the west, south, and north.
 
General location:                                             West side of Highway 87 North across from Hidden Lake Subdivision
 
Legal Description:                                           Section 27, T2N, R26E, COS 3288 and COS 3288, Parcel 1
 
Subdivider:                                                     VTR Properties, LLC
 
Owner:                                                            VTR Properties, LLC
 
Engineer and Surveyor:                                  Blueline Engineering
 
Existing Zoning:                                             Outside Zoning
 
Existing land use:                                            Vacant open range
 
Proposed land use:                                          48 single-family residences
 
Gross area:                                                      118.18 acres
 
Net area:                                                          approximately 105.95 acres
 
Proposed number of lots:                                48
 
Lot size:                                                          Max:    3.213 acres   Min.:   1.796 acre
                                                                         
Parkland requirements:                                  Parkland dedication requirement = 4.991 acres. 2.451 acres of parkland dedication
                                                                       is met with the proposed (trail corridor) and cash in lieu is proposed for the
                                                                       remaining 2.54 acres.