A proposal for a luxury private golf club that will include a 359 single-family home subdivision in Lakeside is moving forward after the Flathead County Planning Board last night recommended it to the commissioner’s office.
In a 5-1 vote, planning board members Jeff Larsen, Greg Stevens, Elliot Adams, Marie Hickey-AuClaire and Sandra Nogal supported the recommendation while Michael Kopitzke opposed it. Buck Breckenridge recused himself from the item due to a conflict of interest.
The Flathead County Board of Commissioners will vote to approve or deny the Flathead Lake Club’s preliminary plat on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 9 a.m.
The Aug. 13 meeting drew a standing-room-only crowd, a month after the dozens of community members spoke in both opposition and support of the project.
In addition to the golf course and residences, the property is also planned to include restaurants, a clubhouse, a spa, fitness areas, offices, retail stores and facilities along with open space totaling 864 acres.
The applicants say only 20% of the acreage would be developed while 80% would remain open space.
Submitted under the applicant name “Flathead Friends, LLC,” the development is proposed by Discovery Land Company, which has a large portfolio of private clubs around the world. The company has already developed three private clubs in Montana, including Crazy Mountain Ranch in Shields Valley, Iron Horse Golf Club in Whitefish and the Yellowstone Club in Big Sky.
A private marina is also included for Flathead Lake Club members, which Discovery Land Company Vice President of Development Jeremy Pfile says includes 36 boat slips. While the marina is included in the project, it is not part of the preliminary plat application.
A hilly parcel west of U.S. Hwy 93 in Lakeside is the proposed site of the Flathead Lake Club, a luxury private golf club community, pictured on Aug. 12, 2025. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
According to county planners, the development complies with the neighborhood plan, and the proposed density is adequate.
In 2007, the planning board approved a project on the same property bordering the existing Eagles Crest subdivision, which would have included 854 lots but never materialized. The plat was reconfirmed in 2010 when the Lakeside Neighborhood Plan was approved.
During the meeting, developers and a team of engineers, hydrologists, geologists and an attorney addressed concerns raised at the July 9 meeting, which included issues surrounding water rights, lawsuits, traffic, water quality and emergency response.
Public members at the July meeting raised concerns about the Lakeside Water and Sewer District, which would serve the property following the completion of each of the project’s five phases. The district has been working to upgrade its facility to meet the demand, but litigation has led to complications in recent months.
This spring, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) and Citizens for a Better Flathead sued the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for issuing a wastewater treatment discharge permit that they argue does not comply with water quality regulations.
Missoula-based attorney William VanCanagan at the Aug. 13 meeting told board members the Lakeside Water and Sewer District’s litigation was outside the purview of the preliminary plat review and the developer and should not factor into their decision.
A separate lawsuit involving a private airstrip on the property, VanCanagan said, is also outside the purview of the preliminary plat.
While the developer does not currently possess the water right at the property, Brad Bennett of Water & Environmental Technologies told the board that they had drilled five test wells and conducted three aquifer tests, which were submitted to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) as part of the application process.
“Water rights are not a requirement of a preliminary plat,” Bennett said. “I’ve been involved in a lot of these projects over the years, and I cannot recall having a lot of water rights at this point in the process.”
Bennett said he does not foresee any issues with the water right being granted and said an assessment indicated only a third of the aquifer is appropriated in the property area, which is “more than enough water.”
Project area for the proposed Flathead Lake Club. Courtesy image
Bordering Legacy Bike Park, the owners last month were concerned the park’s road easement would be compromised with the proposed development because it runs through the property. But Pfile on Wednesday night said the Flathead Lake Club team “executed an easement agreement” with the park along with six other property owners. The road will be relocated and paved within the first few phases at no cost to Legacy. A right-turn lane would also be installed at the Bike Park Road intersection with U.S. Highway 93.
Planning board members praised the developers for the project’s thorough staff report, compliance with the neighborhood plan and the added benefits to the community. While they acknowledged the luxury club would change Lakeside, the part-time residents would likely only inhabit the area in the summer while bringing in significant tax revenue and upgraded infrastructure with minimal impact.
“This is going to bring in a ton of tax money and there’s probably many kids that will not be going to Lakeside or Somers school districts … this is great for the school system because it’s big revenue,” Board Member Elliot Adams said. “I think this is some of the stuff that we overlook and the emergency, medical and fire stuff they are figuring out – this is a great thing for the community.”
But Mike Kopitzke, the lone opposing voter who also represents the Flathead Conservation District, said he was still concerned about the Lakeside Water and Sewer District along with the high volume of public opposition.
“Yes, you met the subdivision regulations, but is this a kind of development we want in our community, and what’s the benefit of it and what’s the risk?” Kopitzke said. “The sewer system – I know what it says – there’s litigation, there’s a septic issue, expansion – there’s a lot of things … if it does fail, what’s the consequence? I think it’s pretty catastrophic.”
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