Somers beach erosion plan gets county review
Tiffany Greene, of Kalispell, tosses a stick into Flathead Lake for her dogs at Somers Beach in this May 14, 2020, file photo. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks outdoor recreation division will go before the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday seeking a permit to construct a gravel beach at Somers on Flathead Lake.
Represented by Hafferman Engineering, the state is requesting a major variance to the Flathead County Lake and Lakeshore Protection Regulations to allow for the creation of a dynamic equilibrium beach, which is aimed at curbing erosion on the north shore of the lake as part of a new public park. Fish, Wildlife and Parks proposes to apply 3,585 cubic yards of various rock fill to create the beach, thus requiring a variance because the proposal exceeds the lakeshore regulations for the amount and depth of fill and is below the high water mark.
The planning board has a full agenda Wednesday evening with eight public hearings scheduled. The board meets at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the South Campus Building at 40 11th Street West in Kalispell.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking a variance to protect the property, which contains about 1,855 feet of lake shoreline, and restore as much wetland habitat as possible, according to the planning report. The site is subject to continued shoreline erosion therefore the plan calls for constructing a dynamic gravel beach system that will “place a graded gravel fill below the average high water elevation to stop full pool wave erosion and at the same time create a gravel beach that is acceptable for public use,” according to the application.
The intent of a dynamic gravel beach is also to stop shoreline erosion and would decrease the sediment transport into the lake thereby also improving the water quality, the application notes.
OTHER ITEMS on the agenda include:
A request for a zone change by BAE Development LLC for a property within the Blanchard Lake Zoning District to change the zoning on property at 5333 Highway 93 South near Whitefish from AG-20 to SAG-5 on about 29 acres. The property is currently undeveloped, and the application says the developer wishes to develop a planned unit development and subdivision similar in density and character to the Whitefish Hills, which sits immediately southwest of the property across Highway 93.
A zone change request by Seung Jun Jung and Myonsuk Chon for 12.88 acres at 1318 Armstrong Lane in Kalispell from SAG-10 to R-2.5. The property is currently undeveloped.
A zone change request from William and Beverly O’Brien for a .72-acre property in the Evergreen Zoning District at 684 Scenic Drive in Kalispell to change from R-1 to R-2.
A zone change request from Dennis and Jackie Gray for 20 acres at 300 Tronstad Road near Kalispell from SAG-10 to R-2.5.
A zone change request from Richard Wright for property within the Rural Whitefish Zoning District for 22.35 acres at 4440 Monegan Road from SAG-10 to SAG-5.
A request from Bruce and Cheryl Wiederspiel for a preliminary plat for Rolling Acres Estates to create eight lots on 60 acres off Middle Road near Columbia Falls. The average size of the lots would be 7.5 acres and would be served by individual wells and septic systems.
A request by the Flathead County Planning and Zoning Office to amend zoning regulations to comply with recent changes to state law.
For more information, visit the county planning department website at https://flathead.mt.gov/planning_zoning/events.php.