New subdivision proposal rejected

By Jennifer McBride / Leader Staff

The Polson City Council unanimously rejected a motion to annex land for the proposed Tanner Heights subdivision into city limits. Tanner Heights, if approved, would have added 32 single-family residential lots and almost 18 acres to the north and south side of Skyline Drive. The property is being developed by Willis and Isabelle Mavis with Carsten's Surveying and Western Digital Cartography acting as an agent.

While none of the city council members elaborated on their choice not to annex the property at the forum, both the written and the verbal public feedback to the subdivision proposal presented at the meeting was overwhelmingly negative. Potential neighbors expressed concerns about the new subdivision proposal's density, traffic safety, road maintenance, water resources and the natural beauty of the area. Adell Hansen was concerned that the city didn't have the right to promise access to water if the city's current water resources hinged on pending water rights negotiations with the Tribes. Dick Scott, a Skyline Drive resident, said that the subdivision currently had problems with water pressure, and adding more houses wouldn't help.

"You can barely take a shower as it is," Scott said.

Because the city council chose not to annex the area, they don't have jurisdiction over the proposed subdivision and didn't need to address the merits of the proposal at the council meetings. The developers may continue working on the area, but if they do so, they'll have to do it under county rules because they haven't been annexed into city limits. Among other differences, city laws allow higher population density than county laws, making annexation advantageous for developers. The developers may re-apply for annexation at a different time.