An enterprise overlay zone created for Evergreen a year ago as an emergency measure to spur business growth hasn’t yet shown significant results, but the zoning tool may need more time to be effective, a Flathead County Planning Office report advises.

The Evergreen Chamber of Commerce requested the publicly initiated zone change to create an interim zone that allows a variety of light industrial uses in addition to the commercial business zones along the U.S. 2 and Montana 35 corridors.

The idea was to allow uses other than retail business in a variety of empty buildings in Evergreen such as the former Walmart and Rex buildings. But over the past year the area has maintained its same commercial nature.

Nevertheless, the Planning Office is recommending the overlay zone be extended for another year, noting that the first 10 months of the overlay are not sufficient time to accurately gauge the impact of the interim zoning.

Last December the county commissioners approved the emergency zone change, effective for one year. To extend the enterprise overlay zone for a second year, the Planning Office has completed a required study. A public hearing has been set for Dec. 11, after which the commissioners will consider the extension.

“Part of the purpose of the interim zoning overlay was to allow for additional uses in order to identify if the vacancy rate was a result of land-use regulation,” the report states. “As with most land-use related issues, multiple factors influence the outcomes of a situation.”

A combination of underperforming public infrastructure, poor economic performance and aging commercial buildings all likely influenced the situation in Evergreen, according to the study.

Improvements to the storm-drainage system in Evergreen by the state Department of Transportation over the summer, along with other highway improvements in that area, are expected to increase access and reduce long-standing drainage problems in the overlay area, the report noted.

Ongoing plans to develop a rail-served industrial park east of Kalispell could encourage additional offshoot businesses in the Evergreen area, and having the overlay zone provides more flexibility for Evergreen business development.

The report is available on the county website at flathead.mt.gov.

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