Hearing set for West Glacier RV, cabin project

A proposal to create a recreational vehicle park and rental cabins east near West Glacier takes center stage at the Flathead County Planning Board meeting on Wednesday.

A public hearing is scheduled during the meeting that begins at 6 p.m. in the second-floor conference room of the South Campus Building, 40 11 St. W. in Kalispell.

Glacier Park Inc., a company that owns and operates several of Glacier National Park’s historic lodges and hotels, wants to develop a 102-space RV park and 25 rental cabins on forested land off River Bend Drive. The 24-acre tract is just east of the West Glacier village and is part of a larger 178-acre tract owned by GPI.

GPI acquired the property in 2014 from the Lundgren family that has had a longstanding presence in West Glacier.

The RV park would be developed two phases to the back of the property, while the seasonal cabins would be located in a subdivision on property closest to River Bend Drive, according to the Planning Office staff report.

The property is designated as a planned community area in the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System, the land-use document that guides development in the West Glacier area. The proposed development appears to meet the eligibility standards for a planned community, the staff report said. GPI’s proposal will have its own water and sewer system, a 30-foot landscaped border and more than the required 25 percent open space. The project proposes 63 acres, or 35 percent open space.

The proposed development has drawn a considerable amount of feedback from neighbors and seasonal West Glacier residents, who have concerns about traffic, noise, light pollution and effects on wildlife.

The Planning Board will make a recommendation on the proposal and forward its decision to the county commissioners for a second public hearing and final decision.