Dozens of residents in the Karrow Avenue area have asked the Flathead County commissioners to leave the existing zoning in place in their neighborhood when county zoning in the “doughnut” area around Whitefish is adopted.

Citizens for a Better Flathead also has weighed in strongly in support of retaining larger tract zoning in the rural Karrow neighborhood.

The commissioners last month approved a resolution of intent to adopt the Rural Whitefish Zoning District and five new county zoning classifications. The protest period ended March 14.

A final resolution on the county zoning will be made by the commissioners. Although no date has been set yet for that decision, the commissioners must vote on the final resolution by April 14.

The battle for planning control of the area around Whitefish began eight years ago and included two rounds of litigation that involved the Montana Supreme Court both times. In the end the high court ceded planning control to the county.

The county received roughly 292 comments during the 30-day protest period, county planner Erik Mack said. Of those who commented, 75 live within the proposed Rural Whitefish Zoning District. Of those property owners within the district, 55 weighed in against the zoning district while 20 favor it, Mack said.

Karrow Avenue residents want to retain a minimum lot size of 15 acres in much of that highway corridor, but the commissioners have not wavered from their proposal to shrink the minimum lot size in much of the that neighborhood from 15 acres to 2.5- or 5-acre lots.

Another concern from Whitefish residents is the county secondary business zone proposed for the U.S. 93 South corridor north of Montana 40 that adds permitted uses such as antique, gift and card retail sales, along with stand-alone convenience stores. The commissioners also stood by their decision to add those permitted uses.

Mayre Flowers, executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead, wrote to the commissioners last week, acknowledging the county “has every right” to put county zoning in place in the doughnut because of the Supreme Court ruling.

“But with that right is the burden of making sure that adequate standards are in place ... to retain the special character, quality of life and economic vitality of this world-class place,” Flowers said.

Specifically, Citizens for a Better Flathead wants the 15-acre zoning left in place in the Karrow Avenue neighborhood, and would like the county to adopt a 15-acre county rural agricultural zone that mirrors the Whitefish 15-acre agricultural zone.

The commissioners last month agreed to require a 100-foot setback for the city of Whitefish’s primary water source, a compromise as the county moves toward adopting final zoning in the doughnut. The proposed change will place a 100-foot undisturbed setback from Second Creek only; other streams in the Big Mountain resort residential zone will fall under the county’s 20-foot setback.

Citizens for a Better Flathead and the city of Whitefish want the county to retain the city’s 200-foot setback from First, Second and Third creeks.

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