Highlighting concerns about the lack of details, the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday voted to recommend denial of a zone change for property near Whitefish.  

Reynolds Cameron, owner of MT Forever Home, LLC, is seeking to amend zoning on his 4.5-acre property from R-2.5 (rural residential) to R-4 (two-family residential). The zone amendment would reduce the minimum lot size from 2.5 acres to 6,000 square feet and allow for duplexes and single-family homes to be built on the property. 

His vision is to build mobile friendly homes for those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a personal issue for him, since his own mother died of the disease. 

Cameron told board members he wants to build duplexes and single-family homes on his land along Haugen Heights Road, but didn’t specifically say how many residential dwellings he planned to construct.  

"I haven't laid out the plans,” he said. “At this point, the request is to amend the zoning so we can explore those opportunities.” 

The city of Whitefish has requested denial of the application, stating it violated the adopted 2007 Whitefish Growth Policy’s suburban land use designation. The proposed 6,000-square-foot minimum lot size is an urban land use designation, officials said, not suburban residential.   

A staff report attached to the application found the zone amendment appeared to comply with the Flathead County Growth Policy, but was incompatible with the Whitefish Growth Policy. It also found the property would most likely be annexed by the city, since it will be connected to the city’s water and sewer services.  

Board member Buck Breckenridge asked Cameron why he approached the county first and not Whitefish. Cameron replied there’s a current moratorium on development applications, since the city is drafting a new growth policy, Vision Whitefish 2045.  

“And currently this land is county land,” Cameron said. “The only jurisdiction that's appropriate, at this point, is the county.” 

Peter Noennig, who lives directly south of Cameron on Haugen Heights Road, said the extension of Lake Park Lane to reach the proposed residential units would cut across the northeast corner of his property.  

“Which I would not approve,” Noennig said.  

He and other residents added that the higher-density zone would disrupt the rural character of the neighborhood. Christine Coughlin noted the property is a steep hill, making it a difficult area to build a road.  

“There are children that play here,” said Steve Thompson, who lives off Icehouse Road. His grandsons, with Noennig’s permission, like to sled down the hill during the winter. “We already have a problem with construction traffic going right through that intersection. The trucks don't like to stop. They've got their momentum.” 

Cameron’s 82-year-old father, Jim, was the only person to speak in favor of the project during public comment.  

“I'm here to support the project,” Jim said, “and to say that as we age, mobility becomes a problem and a reality for all of us. It’s something that I've had to deal with.” 

Board members voted unanimously to recommend denial of the application. 

“But the other comment I wanted to make ... Whitefish is difficult to work with. It’s just the nature of being around Whitefish,” said planning board chair Jeff Larsen. “And so that concerns me, too, is trying to put that type of density up by Whitefish.” 

The planning board acts in an advisory role only. Flathead County commissioners makes the final decision on applications. 

AN APPLICATION for a proposed storage unit facility south of Kalispell, located at 4005 U.S. 93, earned the support of board members. Toy Shack, LLC, an Arizona-based company, is seeking approval to create three commercial lots and construct 224 storage units on 10 acres of an approximate 41-acre plot of land. 

The development will be constructed over three phases, with an estimated completion date in the spring of 2027. The proposed three-commercial-lot subdivision would be served by a new public well and public wastewater system. 

Doug Peppmeier, from TD&H Engineering, said 30 acres of the area is a designated floodplain and will not be touched by developers.  

“When you hear condos, I think some people jump to this is a 224-unit residential condo development. That is not what we are proposing. These are storage units,” Peppmeier said. 

Two of the seven buildings will be connected to water and sewer, he added, and the remaining will be used for storage units. There are no plans to build a new highway access, Peppmeier said, and the company plans to utilize the existing one. 

A traffic study concluded the new development would produce an additional 18 trips during morning peak hour, 17 evening peak hour trips and 149 daily trips on average. The total traffic volume increase on U.S. 93 will be less than 1%, according to the staff report.    

Before the start of the meeting, Larsen announced that former Vice Chair Greg Stevens would not be returning to the planning board, due to medical issues.  

Board member Marie Hickey AuClaire was unanimously voted to fill in as the new vice chair. Members also unanimously voted to keep Larsen as chairman of the board for the new year. 

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