Commissioners reject Florida developer's zone change request

Nine concerned constituents stood before the Flathead County commissioners recently to oppose a zone change request for 12 acres of land along U.S. 2 near Columbia Falls owned by Location Ventures, LLC of Florida.

Ultimately, commissioners unanimously sided with the residents and the county Planning Board’s recommendation to deny the request on Aug. 31. The property is now listed as for sale.

Location Venture’s parcel, just east of the Flathead River Bridge, is surrounded by farmlands and neighbors the Bad Rock Wildlife Management Area to the north. The proposed change would have rezoned the property from SAG-10, which has a minimum lot size of 10 acres, to R-1, which has a minimum lot size of one acre. R-1 zoning would allow for more suburban residential-style housing.

A primary concern aired at the public hearing was additional traffic to the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana 206, though Planning Board findings suggested only a 1% traffic increase that would have to be approved by Montana Department of Transportation before highway access would be permitted.

Water use and sewage drainages were also listed as concerns, given the high water table in the area, and potential pollutants to the Flathead River and surrounding water shortages. Wildlife corridors and open space preservation were also discussed.

“Everyone knows what an economic engine Glacier National Park is to Flathead Valley and the state,” said Becky Williams of Columbia Falls. “If wildlife is to be a part of Glacier’s future, it needs connectivity. It can not just exist in the high mountains… it needs valley protection as well.”

The Planning Board initially stated that the change would not constitute spot zoning, as the area could serve as a buffer between low density residential and higher-level commercial use land in the surrounding areas.

While agricultural use would remain permissible in R-1 zoning, Flathead County Planning and Zoning Director Erik Mack pointed out that most agricultural operations use more than one acre. This reinforced the concern, raised both by residents and Commissioner Brad Abell, that the change would represent spot zoning, incompatible with the surrounding land usage.

The developer previously suggested that Location Ventures could provide affordable housing on the parcel, but Commissioner Pamela Holmquist expressed doubt that going from SAG-10 to R-1 could offer such a thing.

“Back in my day, and I’m a little older, single-wides were affordable housing. If you go to R-1, you can’t have single-wides, you have to have a double-wide. So, affordable housing is subjective … People are going to pay whatever they can pay for their house,” Holmquist said.

While Abell noted that the developer’s ongoing litigation could not factor into the commissioners' decision, members of the public expressed their distaste for Location Ventures and former CEO Rishi Kapoor, who has been under investigation by the FBI and Securities Exchange Commission for alleged payouts to city officials in exchange for luxury developments in Miami.

All three commissioners agreed that going from SAG-10 to R-1 would be too big of a leap for the area, leading to their rejection of Location Venture’s request.