Lakeside residents lined up to testify against a proposed 1,700-acre resort during the Flathead County Planning Board meeting Wednesday. Only a handful of residents spoke in favor of the subdivision. 

Top issues from residents during the nearly two hours of testimony included increased traffic congestion, straining water and sewer systems, and potential long-term effects, such as stormwater run-off and the impact on the water quality of Flathead Lake. 

Arizona-based Discovery Land Company is the backer of an application for a new subdivision in Lakeside, located west of U.S. 93 near Blacktail Mountain. The approximately 1,700-acre members-only resort, dubbed Flathead Lake Club, is planned to include a new golf course, restaurants, a spa, a fitness center and other amenities. The development also includes 359 residential lots. 

Before the public hearing, Jeremy Pfile, vice president of development for Discovery Land Company, said the benefits of the resort include the creation of seasonal and year-round job opportunities and additional tax revenue. A fiscal impact study conducted by RPI Consultants found the project will have a net benefit of $22.6 million, he noted.  

"That's a huge financing mechanism for Flathead County and their public services, including the regional infrastructure, at $8 million annually," Pfile said. He claimed the local school district will receive an additional $14 million in tax revenue from the project.  

Due to the high volume of information, the Planning Board tabled the matter until the board's Aug. 13 meeting. Chair Jeff Larsen found it appropriate to give the applicants substantial time to review comments before providing rebuttal.  

Residents who spoke at the meeting were worried about adding more traffic to an already congested area on U.S. 93, and its potential impact on emergency medical services. 

"Highway 93 is the only point of access for residents on the west shore," one Lakeside resident said. "Allowing for safe passage along the highway 93 is a critical concern to residents." 

Two access points to the subdivision from U.S. 93, Legacy Park Way near the northern property line and Goldenview Lane along the southern property line, are identified in the staff report. Legacy Park Way is planned to be repositioned slightly to the south to serve the subdivision, and Goldenview Lane is a shared approach with adjacent southern properties.  

Goldenview Lane will only be utilized by the subdivision to access U.S. 93, according to the staff report. The developer considered building a right-turn lane onto U.S. 93 from the Legacy Park Way intersection, but the Montana Department of Transportation has been hesitant to grant its approval.  

"It's not automatically safer in every case," said Nate Larson with 406 Traffic and Transportation Consulting. "A good analogy is, if you put in a new traffic signal where there isn't one, there will be new types of accidents that happen, or crashes that didn't happen before." 

Consultants maintained that a right-turn deceleration lane would be safer. 

406 Traffic & Transportation Consulting prepared a traffic impact study that the 359 residential lots would add approximately 3,590 average daily trips. 

However, Larson said that because the residences are expected to be seasonal and member-based, the traffic impact would likely be less.  

"The data that feed into that 10-trips-a-day number are based on primary residences for babies, or children, that are occupied pretty much year-round," Larson said. "We don't see that happening with this project." 

ONE RESIDENT worried about increased utility rates because of the subdivision, since the Lakeside County Water and Sewer District is set to provide wastewater treatment for the subdivision.  

Lakeside district General Manager Rodney Olson told the Inter Lake that planned increased rates “has nothing to do” with the proposed subdivision, but this is a result of a project to upgrade the district's aging wastewater treatment system to keep up with growth.  

Olson said representatives for the new subdivision approached the district in 2023, two years after plans for the project were already in motion. 

"(The increased rates) have absolutely nothing to do with that subdivision," he said, adding that the proposed subdivision would be a “huge benefit” as it would pay impact fees to connect to the system.  

Citizens for a Better Flathead, along with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, is suing the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for issuing a groundwater discharge permit to the Lakeside district that allows for expansion of the system. 

The watchdog group, which has recently filed four lawsuits regarding the water quality in the Flathead, is also suing the sewer district, claiming it didn't provide adequate public notice before its board approved the expansion of its wastewater treatment plant and approved providing service to the proposed Lakeside Club.  

During Wednesday’s meeting, Flathead Lakers Executive Director Coby Gierke raised concerns about Discovery Land Company's track record, pointing to a 2016 incident connected to the Yellowstone Club near Big Sky, a residential enclave in the company's portfolio.  

According to Upper Missouri Water Keeper, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and improving waterways of the Upper Missouri River Basin of Montana, 30 million gallons of treated wastewater fell into the Gallatin River from the Yellowstone Club. 

Lakeside resident Bruce Young said the "biggest elephant in the room" is storm drainage.  

Connor Candrian, a civil engineer on the subdivision project, said stormwater retention ponds will meet state standards.  

Reporter Hannah Shields may be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].