County board looks at home-based businesses
HEIDI DESCH | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 3 years, 7 months AGO
DEPUTY EDITOR, FEATURES Heidi Desch is the Deputy Editor at the Daily Inter Lake, overseeing coverage of arts, culture, lifestyle, community, and business. Desch leads reporters in developing stories that highlight the people, traditions, and events shaping Northwest Montana, guiding content across print and digital platforms. With more than 20 years of journalism experience, including serving as managing editor of the Whitefish Pilot, Desch is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Journalism. She has received multiple Montana Newspaper Association awards, including part of the team leading the Daily Inter Lake to Best Daily Newspaper in Montana Award and the General Excellence Award in 2024 and 2025. IMPACT: Heidi’s work connects readers with stories that deepen the understanding of the community beyond daily news. | January 2, 2023 11:00 PM
The Flathead County Board of Adjustment on Tuesday will consider requests for two home-based businesses.
One request comes from Robert Borgen for a conditional use permit to operate a welding and fabrication business on property located at 206 Siblerud Road near Kalispell. The total acreage involved in the request is about 30 acres.
The second request is from Charles and Geraldine Sunderlin for a conditional use permit to allow for a gunsmith business at 181 Black Bear Lane in Bigfork. The total acreage involved is about 7.82 acres.
The board of adjustment meets at 6 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.
Borgen’s property contains two single-family homes, multiple agricultural accessory structures and three silos. The properties in the immediate vicinity are primarily in agricultural production with single-family homes on large tracts of land.
The county requires a conditional use permit for a home occupation when the proposed business would operate out of an accessory structure. In this case, the business would operate out of a detached shop.
The Sunderlin property contains a single-family dwelling, barn, shop and shed. The properties in the immediate vicinity are primarily single-family residential.
The county is requiring a conditional use permit for the business because one person — a non-relative — residing on the premises is expected to be assisting with the business, the use of an accessory structure is planned for the endeavor and more than 16 vehicle trips per day may occur as part of business operations.
In addition, the application indicates that a classroom/breakroom within the shop would be used for firearm safety classes that would have a maximum of five attendees twice per month during daytime hours.
The classes would not involve the discharge of firearms. However, the applicant says that firearms would be discharged at the location as part of business operations.
Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or [email protected].
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