The Flathead County Planning Board will consider applications for a major subdivision near Marion and new clustering provisions on Wednesday.  

The planning board will first hear agenda items from the March meeting, which was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. These include a major land use permit application at Moose Creek RV Park and Resort in West Glacier, rezoning property near Bigfork to commercial for a new fire station and a zone amendment on a combined 10 acres of property near Columbia Falls.  

A workshop for a marijuana zone text amendment will be held after the meeting. Board members meet in the second-floor conference room of the South Campus Building, 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell at 6 p.m. 

C&J LAND Development, LLC, wants to subdivide 41.8 acres of land at 27 Gunsite Court in Marion into four approximately 10-acre residential lots. The proposed subdivision will be served by individual septic systems and wells, accessed via Gunsite Court from Badger Hollow Trail and Lower Lost Prairie Road.  

The property is in an unzoned and undeveloped forested area with rolling terrain. It was formerly a corporate timber production site.  

Little Bitterroot River borders the entire east side of the property, according to the National Hydrography Dataset on the Flathead County Interactive Mapping Application. Developers proposed a 100-foot riparian setback from the river along the eastern property line in their Riparian Resource Management Plan. 

Two small wetland areas are located along the property’s western boundary, and a larger freshwater emergent wetland area is situated along the eastern boundary. All wetland areas are protected under no-build zones. Two lots contain the steepest slopes of rolling terrain, but planning staff determined there’s enough room in the 10-acre lots to build around it.  

The Montana Natural Heritage Program noted nine species of concern in the subject area, including fishers, grizzly bears, bald eagles, Cassin's finches, great blue herons and pygmy whitefish. These animals may pass through or take up residence on the property, according to the staff report. It is also indicated from previous comments from Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on the Bitterroot Flats that elk, black bears, whitetail deer, mule deer, mountain lions and wolves inhabit the area.  

A note regarding potential human-wildlife conflict will be required for final plat approval, according to the staff report. The property is also in the Wildland Urban Interface area, where wildfires can and do occur.  

The four single-family residential units are expected to add 40 average daily trips to the surrounding road network. Each property owner will be required to provide a pro-rata share for road maintenance within the subdivision prior to final plat approval. The developer must pave 150 feet of Lower Lost Prairie Road, according to the staff report.  

THE FLATHEAD County Planning Department is submitting a proposal to allow clustered residential development in AG (agricultural), SAG (suburban agricultural) and R (residential) districts. Clustering allows residential development in greater densities than permitted while keeping a certain percentage of the property as open land.  

Developers can earn bonus densities by providing access to sidewalks, trails, workforce housing, emergency access and public water and sewer systems.  

Planning staff propose eliminating a section in the Flathead County Zoning Regulations and consolidating residential clustering with agriculture and suburban agriculture districts. Multiple workshops have discussed the proposed changes in clustering provisions since fall 2023.  

The proposed text amendment aims to incentive housing development, lower wildfire risks, preserve agricultural and natural resource lands, and ease environmental constraints.  

Report for America reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at (406) 758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.