A proposal to change the zoning on 200 acres of West Valley farmland to suburban agricultural zoning won a favorable recommendation from the Flathead County Planning Board last week.

Thelma Johnson and D&K Development LLC asked for the zone change on property located along Stillwater and Springcreek roads. The land is zoned agricultural with an 80-acre minimum lot size. The proposed change reduces the minimum lot size to 5 acres. That area has undergone considerable growth, with Kalispell city limits just a half-mile to the south and a quarter-mile to the east. The new U.S. 93 bypass delivers traffic one mile southeast of the property and Old Reserve Drive brings traffic from Costco and Spring Prairie to Stillwater Road, according to the planning staff report.

BJ Grieve, a senior planner with WGM Group, described the subject property as an “urban reserve area” poised to accommodate future growth.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks stated in a letter the agency does not support the zone change because of the wildlife value of the agricultural lands within the vicinity of the Stillwater River and wetlands to the northeast of the property.

“Approval of this zone change request would set further precedent for additional zone change requests in the vicinity, which would lead to additional cumulative impact to wildlife habitat in this area,” the agency wrote.

The county commissioners will make a final decision on the proposal; a public hearing date before the commission has not yet been scheduled.

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