A proposed ordinance that restricts development around Glacier Park International Airport is up again for review by the Flathead County Planning Board.  

The planning board meets Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Country Kitchen at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, 265 N. Meridian Road. A workshop to discuss lakeshore regulations will take place after the meeting.  

Board members tabled Ordinance No. 10 at their last meeting on June 10, after finding it failed to address concerns of ambiguity and density restrictions that prevent property owners from splitting their land.  

The ordinance was drafted by the county Planning and Zoning Department in cooperation with the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority. It establishes an Airport Affected Area, a three-layered zone that adds density and land use restrictions on new development, in accordance with Montana’s 2005 Airport Compatibility Act. Airport officials say failure to pass the ordinance could jeopardize federal funding for Glacier Park International Airport. 

Nearly an hour and a half of public testimony was heard at the June 10 meeting, where several people who identified as farmers argued the ordinance infringed on their property rights and degraded property values.  

The planning board has closed public comment on the matter.  

JIM ROTH, owner of First Class Grass Farm in Kalispell, submitted a text amendment application for the planning board’s consideration that allows marijuana-associated uses in business zones.  

Marijuana cultivation is currently limited to AG (agricultural), SAG (suburban agricultural), I-1 and I-2 (industrial), R-2.5 (rural residential) and R-1 (suburban residential) zones.  

He proposed allowing marijuana-associated operations as a conditional use in B-1, B-3, B-5, B-6, BM-2 and business service district zones, and a permitted use in B-2, B-4, I-1 (light industrial) and I-1H (light industrial highway) zones.  

The proposal also creates a new section in Flathead County Zoning Regulations that establishes operational, odor, ventilation, lighting and environmental control standards for all marijuana facilities, with corresponding definitions.  

Roth had proposed a text amendment last October to permit indoor marijuana growth and cultivation facilities in B-1 business zones. Board members failed to give county commissioners a formal recommendation on Roth’s application, since their vote was tied. 

County commissioners tabled the application on Dec. 9, following a public hearing. The planning department held a workshop in April, where several revisions were made to the application. Commissioners discussed the revised application again on June 16 and decided to send it back to the planning board for review.  

BOARD MEMBERS will also consider a zone amendment from two property owners near Evergreen, who wish to rezone their 9.95-acre property from SAG-10 (suburban agricultural) to R-1 (suburban residential).  

The property is located at 139 W. Reserve Drive and contains one single-family dwelling unit, an attached garage and several accessory structures, according to a staff report.  

Owners Donald and Virginia Wood said the zone amendment would allow them to create an additional 5-acre lot through a boundary line adjustment, or keep the property available for future development.  

They are unable to subdivide the land under SAG-10 zoning, which requires a minimum lot size of 10 acres. R-1 zoning would allow up to eight additional 1-acre lots on the property. The zone amendment would generate approximately 94 additional daily trips if a single-family residence was built on each lot.  

A ZONE amendment was also proposed for a 0.57-acre property at 639 Conrad Drive near Kalispell, requesting a change from R-5 (two-family residential) to B-1 (neighborhood and professional business). Big Sky Monuments, a headstone and monument business, has operated on the property for more than 75 years, according to a staff report.  

Todd and Roxanne Baker, who have owned the property for more than 20 years, said in their application they wish to sell the business to the Conrad Cemetery Board. The board plans to continue the business, according to the application, and wants to move their office from the cemetery property to the Bakers’ property. However, professional offices are not permitted in R-5 zones, hence the zone amendment request.  

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.