County Planning Board looks at plans near Columbia Falls

Three land use proposals near Columbia Falls, including a request to create an RV park and another to add units to a storage facility, are on the Flathead County Planning Board agenda for Wednesday.

There are a total of seven public hearings on the agenda.

The planning board meets at 6 p.m. in the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell. Recommendations from the planning board regarding the requests are forwarded to the Flathead County Board of Commissioners for final consideration.

Glacier Lily Subdivision is requesting preliminary plat approval to create one commercial lot and a 21-space RV park on about 6 acres at 107 Narrow Way, which accesses U.S. 2 south of Columbia Falls. The property currently contains a single-family home, which is planned to be used as the RV park host residence.

The average size of each RV space is 1,800 square feet. A park area is proposed in the northwest corner of the property measuring 6,000 square feet.

In terms of the storage unit plan, Toby and Mindyanne Gihchrist are requesting a preliminary plat for the Shadow Wood Storage Units on Shadow Wood Drive, off U.S. 2, near Columbia Falls. The proposal is to add 86 storage units to the existing 12 storage units on about 5.2 acres.

Six buildings containing separate units are proposed to be constructed, adding to the one that already exists. The buildings would range in size from 200 feet by 60 feet, and 240 feet by 60 feet.

The third item near Columbia Falls comes as a request from Location Acquisitions for a rezone on about 12 acres at 7240 U.S. 2 in Columbia Heights. The developer is requesting a zone change from SAG-10, which has a minimum lot size of 10 acres, to R-1, which has a minimum lot size of one acre.

The developer initially submitted a request for a zone change on just under 113 acres for property that borders the Bad Rock Wildlife Management Area, but pulled its application. The property is owned by the Wilkinson Trust Estate, but the family recently told the Hungry Horse News that the land wasn’t for sale.

Instead, the developer is seeking the zone change on the smaller piece of land it owns that includes a single-family home. The application with the county says the developer intends to develop single-family residences to allow it to “make use of the value of the land and location to meet market demand for housing in the Flathead Valley due to significant population growth.”

The larger proposal drew a fair amount of opposition for its proximity to the wildlife management area, wetlands and the Flathead River, along with concerns about increased traffic.

ALSO ON the agenda, is a request that looks to change the zoning on about 21 acres near Whitefish from SAG-20 to SAG-5.

William Moseley and Steven Smith are seeking the zone change for the property located at 4950 U.S. 93 west of Whitefish. The property contains a manufactured home and several structures that appear to be abandoned, according to the planning staff report.

The property is non-conforming and the zone change would bring it into conformance and reflect the adjacent land uses, according to the application.

A request by Mark Mento is seeking a major land use permit to construct a guest cabin on property within the Middle Canyon Region of the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System. The property, which is being developed with a single-family home, is located at 1258 Belton Stage Road in West Glacier.

In another request, 109 West, LLC is seeking a zone change for a parcel located at 109 West Reserve Drive, Kalispell from SAG-10 to R-2. The total acreage is 10 acres.

The property has a house and several agricultural buildings, and the application states the reason for the zone change is for the owner to “subdivide in the future to supplement their income in retirement.”

Finally, the planning board will look at amending the Flathead County Growth Policy, specifically to make updates in accordance with state law. Updates are being made to keep the statistical information current and to modernize the information regarding the housing market.

Following the regular meeting, the planning board is set to hold a work session with Lakeside community members regarding zoning.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.