Several property owners are set to go before the Flathead County Planning Board for zoning changes or proposed subdivisions on Wednesday.  

Four applications will be heard by the board, which meets at 6 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W., Kalispell.

Nick and Rita Erickson are seeking to rezone a nearly 3-acre property at 507 Solberg Drive in Evergreen from R-2 (one limited family residential) to R-5 (two-family residential). The zone amendment would allow the development of 23 single-family residential lots or up to 47 residential units, if designed as duplexes.  

The Ericksons indicated in their application the zone change would support higher population density and curb the county’s housing shortage. Several neighboring properties have already changed to R-5 zoning, according to the staff report.  

The property is located along Solberg Drive and Harmony Road, and both roads are anticipated to successfully absorb the increase in traffic, according to the staff report. Average daily trips are anticipated to go up to 217 and 338 trips, respectively.  However, the staff report also notes that once “limiting factors and infrastructure have been included, the number of units and traffic generation estimates may be significantly less.” 

The property is currently served by the Evergreen Water and Sewer District for a single-family home. The proposed multi-family under the zone change would need approval from the sewer district for water and sewer upgrades, according to the staff report.  

IN PURSUIT of providing more affordable housing, Chanson Jones of 109 West LLC wants to change current zoning on his 10-acre property located at 109 W. Reserve Dr. in Evergreen from R-2 (one family limited residential) to B-2/EEO (business general/Evergreen enterprise overlay). 

The zone change would allow Jones to build multi-family dwellings in response to Flathead Valley’s housing shortage, according to the staff report.  At full build-out, the proposed amendment could provide an additional 200 dwelling units on the 10-acre property. 

The amendment could add 600 to 2,000 additional daily trips to West Reserve Drive’s current 15,758 average daily trips, according to the staff report. West Reserve Drive is the primary access point to the property. Review by the Montana Department of Transportation of the project will be needed.  

THE PLANNING Board will also consider a proposed subdivision, McDonald Estates, to build 27 single-family residential lots on 37.26 acres of property located at 4625 Trumble Creek Road near Columbia Falls. The property, owned by Lee McDonald, currently has one single-family dwelling.  

The lots would be served by individual septic systems and a new public water supply system, according to the staff report.  

Columbia Falls Rural Fire District opposed the installation of individual 2,500-gallon water tanks, since multiple tanks scattered across the lots would hinder fire suppression efforts. Instead, it recommended a single 30,000-gallon fill station to serve the subdivision. 

The intersection at Trumble Creek Road and Montana 40 currently faces heavy traffic congestion in the afternoon on weekdays. The Flathead County and Road Department said the subdivision won’t significantly change the level of traffic at this intersection but will still impact drivers’ habits and result in longer delays.   

The subdivision is predicted to add 18 new average daily trips during morning peak hour on weekdays and 24 new trips during the afternoon peak hour on weekdays. It will add an overall 245 new weekday daily vehicle trips, according to the staff report. 

In 2025, Trumble Creek Road had 514 average daily trips within the area of the proposed subdivision, according to the county road department. In 2023, Montana 40 had 13,795 annual average daily traffic, according to the Montana Department of Transportation. 

LAST ON the board’s agenda is an application for a proposed subdivision called The Ranches at Elk Meadows. The subdivision will include the construction of 14 lots, which includes 13 residential lots and one Equine Activity Center on 97 acres of property, located at 1605 Middle Road near Columbia Falls. K Bell Enterprises is the listed applicant on the preliminary plat application. 

Each residential lot will be built on 3 to 8 acres, served by a system of individual wells and septic systems, and the equine center will be built on 32.7 acres.  

Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 758-4439 or [email protected].