Planning board begins another busy year

The Daily Inter Lake

The Flathead County Planning Board held its first meeting of 2005 on Wednesday - and it's already swamped with work.

The board's nine members - including new appointees Kim Fleming, Gene Dziza, Frank de Kort and Charles Lapp - will hold two regular meetings this month to address the numerous planning applications that have been submitted in recent weeks.

There will be another two meetings in February, followed by three in March, plus an unknown number of workshops over the next two months regarding the Two Rivers growth policy amendment (see related story).

"This is a monumental task, especially for the new members," said Don Hines, who was re-elected president of the board on Wednesday. "We're under fire from the start."

In 2004, the board held a dozen or so work sessions, 20 regular meetings and 90 public hearings, up 20 percent from the year before. The number of people who offered testimony swelled by 70 percent, to more than 330, with hundreds more sending in written comments.

Wednesday's meeting, which lasted about 3 1/2 hours, was a relatively easy start to the year. Only four people offered testimony on the four agenda items. The decisions included:

. Unanimously recommending approval for the resubdivision of Lot 1A of the amended plat of Ashley Creek Estates, which would create two lots on 62 acres at 1650 Smith Lake Road.

. Recommending approval of the amended preliminary plat for East Valley Estates, which would create 17 residential lots on 55 acres along Montford Road between Montana 35 and Holt Stage Road.

This project was previously approved with 28 acres of open space and the same number of lots. It's coming back through the process to clarify whether additional homesites can be developed in the open area in the future.

. Recommending approval of the resubdivision of Lots 1, 2 and 3 in Goose Meadows, which would create 17 lots on 88 acres located at 65 Goose Lane in the Lower Valley, near the intersection of Manning Road and Farm Road.

Several conditions were added to the plat, including requirements related to paving the internal subdivision road and reserving an easement to tie in the road with the adjacent property.

. Recommending denial of a zoning text amendment that would eliminate section 5.11.010(8) of the Flathead County Zoning Regulations.

Some people believe this section represents an illegal regulation of political speech, given that it regulates the size of political signs, limits how early the signs can be put up and requires their removal within a week following the election. However, the board didn't think it was a problem.

. In other action, the board extended its thanks to past board members Dan Bangeman, Russ Crowder, Larry Linne and Dave Reynolds for their efforts and contributions last year.