Marina expansion meeting tonight
The Lakeside Community Council will meet to hear input on a proposed expansion of the Eagle Crest Marina.
The Daily Inter Lake
The Lakeside Community Council will meet tonight to hear input on a proposed expansion of the Eagle Crest Marina.
The meeting, set for 7 p.m. at the Lakeside Chapel, will be a precursor to a formal hearing on the issue before the Flathead County Planning Board Oct. 13.
Forest Sanderson, Flathead County's planning director, said any recommendations from the Lakeside Community Council will become part of the record before the county planning board.
The county's hearing was originally scheduled for Sept. 8, but was delayed at the request of Montana Eagle Development, the company that is seeking a major variance to the county's lakeshore regulations. The developers wanted time to answer questions that had been raised about their proposal, Sanderson said.
The developers are proposing expansion of the 50-year-old marina at Lakeside, which currently has 86 slips, although only 56 are considered usable.
The developers propose 196 slips, mainly by extending the current 150-foot dock system to a maximum of 500 feet into the lake. More than 29,047 square feet of impervious dock surface would be added. Seawalls and existing buildings at the marina would be renovated.
The total number of proposed slips, dock length and amount of impervious surface are all substantially higher than what's allowed under the Flathead County Lake and Lakeshore Regulations.
The proposal has stirred up opposition and concerns about the impacts on boating and traffic safety, environmental damage and the manner in which the facility would be operated.
The developers have recently submitted additional information to the county planning office in an effort to answer some questions and concerns said Tracy Sears-Tull, the county's planning technician for lakeshore regulations.
She said the developers have provided legal assurances that public access to 96 slips will be provided in perpetuity; while roughly 100 slips will be reserved for private use.
The original proposal called for operating a new fueling station in addition to the existing fueling station. Now, the developers plan to remove the existing station, and build a new one.
The building that houses Rosario's restaurant will be renovated, but the roof will be extended only as far as the existing patio.
Also, after reconsideration, the developers are no longer proposing to replace the Bierney Creek culvert beneath U.S. 93 because they have no obligation to do so, Sears-Tull said.
After consideration by the planning board, Sanderson said the proposal will go before the Flathead County commissioners.
Before the project can proceed, the developers must also get permit approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.