A zone change that would allow a hotel, restaurant and other mixed uses south of Majestic Valley Arena will be considered by the Flathead County commissioners on Wednesday.

A public hearing on the zoning request begins at 9:30 a.m. in the commissioner chambers on the third floor of the Courthouse in Kalispell.

Winter Parks Ventures and Majestic Valley LLC are asking for a zone change on 37.6 acres at the northwest corner of Church Drive and U.S. 93, from suburban agricultural with a 5-acre lot size to B-3 business zoning that allows congregated community shopping areas.

B-3 zoning allows for business centers but not strip development and also allows multifamily but not single-family residential development.

Majestic Valley Arena owners Jan and Bob Parker want to supplement the area with complementary uses such as a restaurant, hotel and additional signs, according to a county Planning Office staff report. The proposed B-3 zone allows for a hotel with a conditional-use permit and a restaurant would be a permitted use.

The Riverdale Neighborhood Plan for that area designates the property as mixed use on its future land-use map.

According to Erica Wirtala of Sands Surveying, the owner’s representative, the Parkers plan to retire and want to advertise the property as a development-ready site.

Five years ago the Parkers approached the city of Kalispell about annexing the Majestic Valley property, but the Kalispell City Council at that time denied the request. City limits abut the Majestic Valley property at Church Drive.

The Kalispell Planning Department sent a letter to the council in January that recommended the county deny the zone change to B-3. The city did say, however, that perhaps an annexation district could be developed where the subject parcel could connect to city water and sewer without being fully annexed.

“If the county grants the zone change, a future developer would be faced with the reality of hooking up to city services, which would require city annexation,” the Kalispell Planning Office wrote. “Upon an annexation request, a county B-3 zone would not comply with the city’s growth policy ...this type of speculative zoning pits the city against the county in a bidding war for zoning.

In February the City Council reconsidered the annexation during a work session. Jan Parker told the council the owners would be willing to submit a planned-unit development plan and even sign a document binding future developers to the plan.

At the end of the work session, City Council members agreed to consider adjusting the annexation boundary to bring the Majestic Valley property into the city, but the council has not yet formally voted on an annexation plan.

The Flathead County Planning Board considered the zone change request in February and voted 5-1 to recommend the change to B-3.

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