Proposed cell tower north of Echo Lake draws scrutiny
TAYLOR INMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 3 weeks AGO
The Flathead County Courthouse in Kalispell on Thursday, June 22. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
REPORTER AND PODCAST HOST Taylor Inman covers Bigfork and the north shore of Flathead Lake for the Bigfork Eagle and the Daily Inter Lake. Her reporting focuses on local government, community issues and the people who shape life in Northwest Montana. Inman began her journalism career at Murray State University’s public radio newsroom and later reported for WKMS, where her work aired on National Public Radio. In addition to reporting, she hosts and contributes to Daily Inter Lake podcasts including News Now. Her work connects listeners and readers with the stories shaping communities across the Flathead Valley. IMPACT: Taylor’s work expands local journalism through both traditional reporting and digital storytelling. | August 6, 2025 12:00 AM
A proposed 150-foot cellular tower north of Echo Lake has drawn ample public feedback, according to Flathead County Planning and Zoning officials.
The tower would be within a 50-by-50-foot fenced compound at 1365 La Brant Rd., and would be capable of servicing up to four cellphone carriers, according to the project’s administrative conditional use permit application submitted July 7.
Comments regarding the proposal are being accepted by Flathead County Planning and Zoning until Aug. 8 at 5 p.m.
Administrative conditional use permits are up to the approval of the planning director. After public comment closes, a decision or recommendation will be made within 10 days, according to Flathead County Planning Director Erik Mack. He said the department gets a few comments per day about the tower, the majority of which have been in opposition to its permit approval.
The property is zoned SAG-5 and the tower would be built on a large parcel of open, undeveloped land, with trees and shrubbery cut down to provide fire clearance and mature trees left to provide a visual buffer.
The application said there are no wetlands identified within 100 feet of the site, and other required government reports, such as the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will be ordered prior to the start of construction.
The site will be unmanned and will only be visited by a technician monthly, with the potential exception of workers at the tower after hours in the event of an outage. The application states that even if the tower gets up to four carriers for the tower, four monthly visits wouldn’t impact local traffic.
The site would have an 8-foot fence topped with barbed wire, set back from the road and screened by existing trees.
No lights would be on the tower, as it’s under 200 feet, and there is no ground-based lighting proposed for any equipment cabinets.
Those interested in submitting public comment must do so by emailing
[email protected] or sending a letter to Flathead County Planning and Zoning, 40 11th Street W., Ste. 220 in Kalispell.
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