Lakeside considering new zoning

A proposal aimed at creating one-family residential zoning on 87.4 acres of unzoned land in the Lakeside area is the focus of a public hearing Oct. 13 before the Flathead County Planning Board.

Six property owners — Jim and Diane Jenks, Brent and Barbra Hall, Bob Berreth and Gregg Schoh — are asking for the new Lakeside Boulevard North Zone between Flathead Lake and U.S. 93 north of downtown Lakeside.

The zone would be bordered by Caroline Point Road to the north and the Lakeside Zoning District to the south.

The property currently is developed primarily with single-family residents, but there are a few duplexes, apartments, one condominium and a small hotel that would become legally nonconforming or grandfathered uses if the zone is created, according to the Planning Office staff report.

New uses in the future would be limited to permitted and conditional uses allowed in a one-family limited residential zone. Any new lot created would have to be 20,000 square feet. At that size, a total of 44 additional lots could be created in the proposed district.

Because the area currently is unzoned, there are no restrictions on density, the planning report notes. The area is served by the Lakeside County Sewer and Water District, but doesn’t have the transportation infrastructure to accommodate urban densities.

There are no sidewalks, street lights, storm drains, gutters or other amenities. Access to U.S. 93 also is a concern in that area. The northern intersection of U.S. 93 and Lakeside Boulevard is steep, followed by an immediate “S” curve, while the southern intersection of U.S. 93 and Lakeside Boulevard has a sharp angle of intersection with the highway.

“Without zoning, the densities, intensities of land use and the type of land use could change in a way that has negative impacts on the existing transportation system,” the staff report noted.

The applicants attempted to contact every landowner within the proposed district and have turned in a petition signed by 67 percent of the property owners.

The Planning Office has recommended approval of the new zone, while the Lakeside Community Council last week unanimously recommended approval. The county commissioners will have the final say on the proposal.

In other business, the Planning Board will consider a zone change request in the Evergreen Zoning District by MK Land Holdings. The proposal would change zoning on .59 acres from one-family limited residential to general business at 1347 U.S. 2 East.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com