Just last month, Blaine County Commissioners, after several hearings, decided an important south county land use question. The commissioners unanimously denied an application by William and Mary Helen Leet to subdivide 104 acres into four 26-acre parcels, to be called the Baseline Ranch subdivision. To be sure, the debate over land use won't stop with the Leet decision. Indeed, it's expected to widen as land becomes more valuable amid pressures to develop south county farmland. Moreover, the debate goes beyond the commissioners' meeting room to the farms and ranches of south Blaine County where the consequences of such decisions are far-reaching.
Landowners there appear to be divided as to the best course for land use.
Those who have had subdivisions denied say the county is infringing on their right to realize the full value of their property. Conversely, owners of large agricultural operations oppose south county subdivisions because they fear nearby residential development will harm their farming operations. South county rancher John Fell Stevenson owns the 2,000-acre Hillside Ranch located about two miles east of Timmerman Junction along U.S. Route 20. South county rancher John Fell Stevenson agrees with county policy encouraging the preservation of large blocks of farmland. We're protecting our assets.