Planning board considers zoning requests

A proposal to rezone 83 acres near Kalispell is one of two zone-change requests the Flathead County Planning Board will consider at its June 13 meeting.

The Still Family Trust is asking to change the zoning on two parcels containing approximately 83 acres from agricultural with an 80-acre minimum lot size and a West Valley overlay, to agricultural zoning with a 20-acre minimum lot size. The properties are located at 1017 Three Mile Drive and 35 Harvest Lane, within the Westside Zoning District. The board will hold a public hearing before deciding whether to recommend the zone change to the county commissioners for final approval.

Also on the agenda is a request by Dale Whalen on behalf of Swan Properties LLC to change the zoning on 1.4 acres at 110 Swan River Road in Bigfork from commercial country corner-Class 1, to general business. The property is located at the intersection of Montana 83 and Swan River Road and historically was used for a gas station. It currently contains a building under construction.

The developer stated in the application that the current zoning hamstrings the use of the property.

“We are actively trying to serve the needs of the community and tourists while maintaining a quiet presence,” Whalen said in the application.

The character of the area spans commercial, agricultural, industrial and rural residential uses. Swan River School is northeast of the property. A restaurant is located directly to the north, while a plant nursery operates east of the property. A public hearing will be held on the proposed zone change.

The board will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 13, in the South Campus Building, 40 11th St. W., in Kalispell.