POLSON, Mt. — Polson city commissioners voted to move forward with phase one of a proposed 90-lot subdivision south of town near Skyview Lane Monday night, despite community pushback over water pressure, traffic, and road access.
The project would include 90 half-acre residential lots to be built in 3 phases over 7 years. It is not an affordable housing project.
"These should be relatively attainable lots," Developer Joel Nelson with Geopland said.
Standing room only filled Polson City Hall as community members raised concerns about the proposed subdivision.
"Our water pressure, if he's getting in the shower, I can't run anything else," a resident said.
Residents near the area say they already experience water pressure problems, especially during the summer. They questioned whether Polson has the capacity to serve another 90 homes.
"The water availability in Polson is a real tricky situation," one resident said.
Developer Joel Nelson, with GEOPLAND LLC, said infrastructure will be upgraded as needed. Under the proposal, GEOPLAND LLC is responsible for those improvements.
"There probably is going to need upsizing in order to engineer this," County Commissioner Lisa Rehard said.
Residents were also concerned about traffic.
"When you are talking about adding ninety more units, with who knows how many drivers, it's going to become a really big issue," one resident said.
One resident estimated about 7 cars a minute on Skyline Drive. Others questioned whether the developer could pave the road toward Mission View to help keep additional traffic off neighborhood streets.
"You need to look at all the facts sometimes bigger doesn't always mean better," one resident said.
County Commissioner Lisa Rehard also raised concerns about plans affecting the Skyview Lane loop and maintaining public access.
"Is there a plan having to cut off going the entire way through there…it's the only way around," Rehard said.
The council voted to move forward with phase one and the preliminary plat, advancing the project in the review process. The developer will still need to address infrastructure, traffic, and access concerns before final approval.
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