More tweaking suggested for Lakeside Neighborhood Plan update

A long-awaited update of the 1994 Lakeside Neighborhood Plan is inching its way toward completion.

The Flathead County Planning Board met last week with members of the Lakeside Community Council and the Lakeside Neighborhood Plan Committee to discuss the most current draft of the revised plan. The workshop was a follow-up to a workshop in October 2009.

At the Planning Board’s directive, the council will consider incorporating a handful of suggestions into the draft before a public hearing for the plan is scheduled.

Planning Board member Charles Lapp suggested the council use better maps, although Lakeside representatives noted they haven’t been able to get any from the county and picked them up wherever they could.

County Planner Andrew Hagemeier said he “might be able to help them, depending on workload.” Hagemeier said the county Planning and Zoning Office currently has a full workload.

The board and Lakeside representatives also discussed future land-use designations for the Eagle’s Crest development.

Lona Santana, who serves on the plan committee, said she’s looking forward to getting the plan completed.

“Lakeside doesn’t need any more housing, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to come,” she said. “It’s not about need. It’s market-driven.

“We might as well acknowledge the property rights of the landowners,” she added, noting the plan is “not need-driven, it’s reality-driven. There’s only so much a neighborhood plan can do.”

“It’s far from perfect,” she added. “Every one of us has heartburn with part of that plan. It’s a horrible task, and we did the best we could do.”

Santana said the council received complaints about the plan from both environmentalists and private property-rights advocates.

This is evidence that it is right in the middle where it should be, she said.

The Lakeside Community Council meets at 7 p.m. on June 29 at the Lakeside Sewer District building on Bierney Creek Road for discussion and consideration of public and Planning Board comments regarding the Lakeside Neighborhood Plan and decisions about which changes will be incorporated into the plan before submitting it to the county for a public hearing.

The Lakeside Neighborhood Plan website at http://lakesideplan2008.com has two versions of the draft plan available.

One version has tracked changes so the public can see all the changes made since the October 2009 Planning Board work session.

A second version has all changes accepted, which is the version approved by the community council.