Commission approves first step of Shyrock community

Andrew Waite

Mineral Independent

The Mineral County Commissioners approved preliminary action on the first phase of the Shyrock Motorcoach Community on Wednesday. The project calls for building 73 lots on a 150-acre site north of Mullan Road East and raises concerns about impact on wildlife and neighbors.

But Tim Read, of the county Environmental Health and Planning Board, said his group addressed those concerns and made several changes to the project proposal before sending it to the commissioners.

Changes included making it a seasonal property that will only be open between April 1 and Nov. 30, employing a full-time caretaker, adding adequate pet containment and insuring the property from fire.

"The planning board, in the process of having three sub-committee meetings on the project, made due consideration," Read said after the meeting. "This is in compliance with the subdivision recommendation."

Still, at Wednesday’s public hearing, owners of the adjacent property spoke out against the project, which is being developed by Shyrock LLC and principally represented in Thorp, Wash. Among the neighbor’s worries are fire danger, noise pollution, traffic congestion and pet control.

"I strongly oppose this whole thing," said Brenda Balkenhol, who lives on the border of the proposed motorcoach community.

"For such a big project as this, it seems to be rushing through without a good analysis of everything," John Balkenhol, Brenda’s husband, said.

As for the impact on wildlife, Vickie Edwards, a Fish Wildlife and Parks representative at Wednesday’s meeting, did not speak strongly for or against the project.

"It’s just a matter of density and the intensity of the use," Edwards said about impact of the motorcoach community on the animals.

Shawn Rowland, who spoke on Shyrock’s behalf, said wildlife concerns should not prevent the project from happening because the state of Montana used to own the land before giving it up. He said the remittal represented admittance that the land was not that valuable of a wildlife corridor. Rowland said that environmental reviews of the proposed community never opposed the project

But Edwards disagreed.

"If we didn’t comment in the letter, it’s just because we missed it," she said.

"It’s easy to say that ‘Oh, we didn’t comment.’ If there is no comment, they had no comment," Rowland rebutted. "That’s the only way we’re able to look at this."

In addition, the developer did make environmental concessions, like trashing the idea of some northern lots to increase the size of the corridor, according to Rowland and Read.

Ron Schlader, a ranger with the Lolo National Forest, said the Forest Service does not disapprove of the project.

No matter how many covenants were created, the community was never going to please the Balkenhols, who feel like the property they have owned for 17 years is being infringed upon.

At the public hearing, Balkenhol argued nearly every one of the developer’s points.

"No increase in traffic? That’s got to be disputed," she said. "They aren’t going to sit around there all day. They are going to go places. There’s going to be a tremendous number of trips.

"People do turn their cats loose at night," Balkenhol continued. "It’s a very low fence and has an open area underneath. Dogs and cats are just going to run underneath that.

"There needs to be a discussion about private land, otherwise all those people will be walking along the neighborhood and trespassing into our property.

"We’re watching a city being built next to us," Balkenhol said.

She also pointed out that the project was not easily approved by the Planning Board. She said two members were adamantly against it, but ultimately silenced.

"It wasn’t cut and dry. It was a lot of give and take," Balkenhol, who attended all three Planning Board meetings about the construction proposal, said.  

After the commissioners approved preliminary action on the Shyrock community, Balkenhol, who was obviously vocal throughout the meeting, had no comment.

The 73 lots in the community will range from .29 acres to .64 acres. Every lot will have a long parking space for the motorcoach, a kennel for pets, some recreational space and a shed. The community will leave a little more than 20 acres of open space.

Shyrock is also meant to be somewhat exclusive. Only class-A motorcoaches will be allowed in the lots.

"I’m not going to degrade my own project," Frank Ragland of Shyrock said. Ragland also said he plans to occupy one of the lots. "I am not going to let one of a lesser standard move in next to me."

But the Balkenhols are worried that when Shyrock isn’t able to sell all of the lots, the developer will bend the rules in order to turn a profit.

"We see a vast potential for this to turn into an unregulated trailer park," the Balkenhols wrote in an April 8 letter to the commissioners and Planning Office.

Read and the developers said that the class of clientele expected to occupy the community will only benefit Mineral County.

"The type of people buying and staying are not going to impact the fire department and the sheriff," Rowland said. "But they will be supporting local merchants."

"If it gets built and occupied, there’s going to be the green increase around you," Read said. "The people are going to come and go places. So obviously the grocery store and the post office are going to benefit. The restaurants, the hardware store, they are all going to benefit by just seeing more people and more traffic."

Brenda Balkenhol does not doubt that the property will affect the community. But she does doubt that it will do so positively.

"It’s going to have a severe impact on us," she said.