County still studying zoning regs for home businesses

Proposed changes to Flathead County’s performance standards for home-based businesses is the focus of a second public hearing Jan. 14 before the county Planning Board.

The Planning Board has been working on various revisions to county zoning regulations over the past year.

The proposed change initially would have allowed home-based businesses, or home “occupations” as stated in zoning regulations, to have up to eight vehicle trips per day as a permitted use and 16 trips as a conditional use in most county zoning classifications.

When the county commissioners considered the board’s recommendation in September, they voted to send the text amendment back to the Planning Board for further revisions. The consensus was that rural areas could handle more than 16 vehicle trips as a conditional use.

A new proposal would allow up to 32 vehicle trips per day in agricultural, suburban agricultural and some residential zones. Other changes would add a more detailed definition of vehicle trip.

The hearing begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the second-floor conference room of the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell.