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POMEROY–As part of business conducted at the Garfield County Board of Commissioners regular meeting Monday morning, February 24, 2020, a public hearing was held for comments on the proposed subdivision of the Bryan Canyon Estates Subdivision Plat. Five landowners in the vicinity of the proposed subdivision were present to voice their concerns regarding the development of the 77.906-acre plot into 15 five- to six-acre, single-family residential lots, south of Almota Ferry Road, and overlooking the Snake River.
Grant Morgan, County Engineer and Public Works Director, presented an overview of the project and the steps of the approval process that have occurred to date. One step was obtaining the study required by the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), which identifies and analyzes environmental impacts associated with governmental decisions. The Washington Department of Ecology issued a Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) on January 6, 2020, which states there is “no probable significant adverse environmental impact from a proposal.” He explained that the Garfield County Planning Commission had held its own public hearing on the proposal, and had no public comment at that time.
Morgan added that only one application for water rights had been received, from the Bryan Canyon LLC, who will not be developing the individual lots. That part of the project will be the responsibility of the buyers of the lots. No public funds will be used for installation of access roads or utilities. That, too, will be the responsibility of the buyers. Individual wells and septic systems will need approval by the Garfield County Health Department.
The applicant for the project is Denise Culbertson, Managing Member of Bryan Canyon LLC, who has been a realtor for 22 years. She spoke to the commissioners and visitors to the meeting about how much she would like to build a home on one of the lots, stating that “this is my dream,” and that she had been in the process of getting approval for the subdivision for 12 years. Culbertson assured the other landowners that she wants to be a good neighbor. She explained that there would be no restrictions on the style or size of structures built on the lots, and each buyer would have to install their own septic system, drill their own wells, construct their own access roads, and know the applicable laws for building on the lots.
The main concerns voiced by the neighboring land owners was the loss of hunting grounds, loss of wildlife habitat, and loss of the privacy that initially motivated them to build homes in the remote location. Rick Slaybaugh stated that he uses his property to the east and south of the proposed subdivision for hunting wildlife and grazing cattle. He fears that a lot of new homes would prevent him from hunting there. Jim Downing agreed and stated that a subdivision would “change the whole landscape” and “turn it into a city.” He added that there is little to no phone service in the area in case of emergencies.
Rick Farnsworth was concerned about the property to the north, owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the loss of habitat for wildlife. He stated that the property includes a trail for animals to get to a water source, as well as a natural nesting area for bald eagles. Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Cox, who live to the west of the site, spoke about privacy issues, stating that the reason they moved there was to get away from more populated areas, and they would no longer feel safe living there with a lot of other people moving in.
Other concerns expressed included fire hazards, claiming that increased traffic would bring more risk of fires, that emergency vehicles would have limited access and source of water to fight fires. Ron Weeks with Garfield County Public Works responded that those concerns were all addressed by the County’s subdivision ordinance. Commissioner Justin Dixon wrapped up the hearing by requesting any further comments be submitted in writing to the County Commissioners, along with contact information for follow-up discussions if needed.
Further discussion at the commissioners’ meeting, after the hearing, included statements that there are no legal means to oppose the approval of the subdivision based on the comments received to date. All procedural requirements have been met by the applicant. However, no final decision was made at the meeting.