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Board backs Bigfork land-use plan

by JOHN STANG/Daily Inter Lake
| March 27, 2009 1:00 AM

The Flathead County Planning Board unanimously recommended Wednesday that the county commissioners adopt the proposed Bigfork Land-use Advisory Plan.

"This has had a tortured path. … When all is said and done, you do have a good plan," board member Mike Mower told members of the Bigfork Land-Use Advisory Committee.

Planning Board members modified some parts of the plan Wednesday. But Bigfork committee members huddled during a break and then told the board to send the modified plan to the commissioners.

While voting to recommend the plan, board member George Culpepper Jr. voiced concerns that the plan is based on 2005 economic conditions and not on the current economic climate.

The Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee has taken about four years to get its recommended plan for the unincorporated village area to the Planning Board. That time included a local survey, numerous area meetings and feedback from the Planning Board.

The board's modifications to the Bigfork plan included:

n Removing a clause discouraged trailer homes in Bigfork. The board added language to recognize that affordable housing is needed. Language also was added to encourage new developments to use Bigfork's public water and sewer system.

n Adding language to encourage landscaping and buffers between areas with different uses.

n Adding language that land-use committee members and nonmembers can be on the committee's subcommittees.

n Watering down some language to eventually say the county should consider setting up impact fees for the Bigfork area.

n Bolstering language to say the county should encourage planned-unit developments in the Bigfork area.

n Tweaking language to preserve scenic views of mountains, ridges and other topographic features.

n Declaring that the land-use plan cannot be the sole reason for the commissioners to deny a proposed project in the Bigfork area.

Flathead County already has 18 neighborhood plans for built-up unincorporated areas.

These plans are essentially guidelines from which neighborhood land-use advisory committees make nonbinding recommendations on land uses to the Planning Board. The Planning Board then makes recommendations to the county commissioners.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com

No 'political stuff in Evergreen'

Three people spoke on Wednesday against any effort toward a neighborhood land-use plan in Evergreen.

"We're not interested in your political stuff in Evergreen," Albert Clarke told the Flathead County Planning Board.

Six to eight people applauded remarks against considering a land-use plan for the unincorporated area of 8,000 to 10,000 people.

No one spoke for such a plan.

These remarks were a follow-up from a Saturday Evergreen community meeting at which all 55 people there opposed the idea of a neighborhood land-use plan.

The idea was a trial balloon floated by Evergreen businessman Alan Gilbertson, who himself ended up opposing the concept Saturday.

The county government has no plans to pursue planning for Evergreen.