SPEARFISH, SD – The Spearfish City Council approved the change of zoning and preliminary plat of Phase 1 for the multi-phase residential and commercial development planned for Miller Ranch, set on approximately 294 acres south of Colorado Boulevard and west of Christensen Drive.
The plan, submitted by KTM Design Solutions/Mike Stetson, includes approximately 115 acres for single-family housing; 35 acres for duplex/two-family housing; 12 acres for multifamily housing; 14 acres for commercial use; and more than 117 acres of open space.
“This project will increase the inventory of residential housing and provide commercial land uses that would serve Miller Ranch and other nearby neighborhoods,” a staff report states.
The preliminary plat for Phase 1, approximately 29 acres, will include 44 single-family lots (average lot size is 14,000 square feet) and 14 duplex/two-family lots (average lot size is 8,000 square feet). The first phase access is anticipated off of Christensen Drive.
A traffic study has been conducted in anticipation of future development. Two points of access, off of Christensen Drive and East Colorado Boulevard, are required, with right-turn deceleration lanes recommended per the traffic study and state Department of Transportation.
A development agreement outlines that a connection to the City rec path system will be constructed to connect Miller Ranch to the current rec path along Colorado Boulevard, as part of Phase 2, and eight acres of the development’s open space will become park space with amenities, as guided by the City’s new Parks and Recreation Master Plan. A first phase park will be built after the first 150 homes have been constructed.
The developer has also agreed to work with the City to create a wildland fire mitigation plan for Miller Ranch, specifying vegetation management and maintenance, recommendations for fire-resistant building materials, etc., to be implemented with each phase of development before final platting is approved.
