A zone change to allow a light manufacturing assembly plant on farmland north of Kalispell got a favorable nod from the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday, opening the door for up to 100 new jobs.

The Planning Board will recommend approval of the project to the county commissioners, who have the final say on the zone change and map amendment later this month.

Local entrepreneur Ray Thompson wants to build the plant in the middle of a working farm he owns east of Whitefish Stage Road and a half-mile south of Rose Crossing. He envisions a campus much like the Semitool (now Applied Materials) complex he built years ago on the west side of Whitefish Stage Road.

He recently acquired a California company called Applied Instruments Technologies and plans to build parts for instruments such as mass spectrometers, which measure the quantity of gases and liquids and are used in blending gasoline for various octane levels.

“I want to bring an opportunity into the hands of what I’ve found to be great people” in the Flathead Valley, Thompson told the board. “This location is a great one. We love this area, and our customers see that, too.”

Thompson said when Semitool became a success — “the product and the people exceeded our expectations” — he looked around for the perfect spot to build and decided that without zoning in place at that time, farmland seemed the best way to protect his investment.

“My best shot at that was farmers who cared about their land. That was the best protection I could get for my investment,” he said.

So Thompson bought tracts of farm acreage north of West Reserve Drive. The current zone change under consideration is to switch 50 acres of a 250-acre holding of Thompson’s limited liability company from agricultural to industrial.

On the farmland surrounding the proposed assembly plant, Thompson said he raises beef for Sykes’ Market.

When the historic Sykes’ restaurant and grocery store in downtown Kalispell were in jeopardy of closing, he bought the building and transformed it into a modern restaurant and neighborhood grocery store, and built 12 apartments in two additional stories.

At the Planning Board public hearing on Wednesday, all of the testimony favored Thompson’s project.

State Rep. Jerry O’Neil, R-Columbia Falls, said his constituents want jobs “and this project promises clean jobs.

“Ray Thompson has a history of providing jobs and has been a good neighbor,” O’Neil added.

Rick Blake of Whitefish said instead of economic development leaders having to search out new jobs, “here we have somebody who wants to stay in the community, a family willing to put money into the community.”

Planning Board member Greg Stevens said he’d like to see more development along Whitefish Stage Road because it could spur needed improvements to the road.

“Whitefish Stage needs to be developed,” Stevens said. “The problem is we won’t get transportation upgraded prior to development.”

Planning Board member Jeff Larsen said he believes the industrial zoning designation pairs well with agricultural land.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.