Amid overwhelming public opposition, the Flathead County Planning Board Wednesday tabled a draft ordinance that would place restrictions on development around Glacier Park International Airport.  

After nearly an hour and a half of public testimony, board members agreed that language in the ordinance fails to address concerns of ambiguity and density restrictions that prevent property owners from splitting their land.  

“A lot of things that were brought up this evening need to be addressed, especially with the density issue, so that we’re making good decisions that affect this community,” said Board Chair Marie Hickey AuClaire.

The ordinance creates the Airport Affected Area, a three-layered zone that adds density and land use restrictions for new development within each layer. Creating the area is required under state law, and without it, airport officials say the airport could be in jeopardy of losing federal funding. 

The airport is located within the innermost layer, the Runway Protection Area, which covers approximately 3,125 acres and is shaped like a cross.  

New residential and agricultural subdivisions in the Runway Protection Area are restricted to a minimum 5-acre lot size, with one lot per 20 acres, according to the draft ordinance, which was updated earlier in June. For commercial and industrial subdivisions, the minimum lot size is 10,000 square feet.  

A second zone around the cross-shaped layer is the Airport Protection Area and covers 9,175 acres. New residential and agricultural subdivisions within this zone must have a minimum lot size of 1 acre, with one lot per 5 acres. The minimum lot size remains the same for commercial and industrial use.  

The outer layer is the Airport Affected Area and covers approximately 21,180 acres. There are no added restrictions on subdivisions within this zone.  

Preliminary plats for all three zones are required to include a note disclosing noise pollution, exposure to exhaust and other impacts of airport operations when selling lots to future buyers, according to the draft. 

Land uses permitted within county zones that overlap the Airport Affected Area do not require an additional permit, except for schools, hospitals, cell towers and daycare centers.  

PROPERTY OWNERS with land in the two innermost zones – several of whom identified as farmers – argued that the ordinance infringed on their property rights.  

Wendy McCaffree, who owns nearly 14 acres of land off U.S. 2 West, said she was recently granted two family transfers to split her property and give each of her two sons 1-acre parcels. The first transfer was completed, she said, but the second one is still processing. 

“I was in the planning office today,” McCaffree said. “One son ... he will not have that opportunity, to have that one acre. That is not right.” 

Tony Bond owns a house on Brody Lane, south of Birch Grove Road and adjacent to Trumble Creek Road, which puts his property within the two inner zones. 

He said he bought his house three years ago, unaware that a new ordinance was being drafted. He foresaw restrictions under the proposed ordinance degrading his property value and scaring off potential buyers when he tries to sell his house. 

“I understand the purpose of trying to limit urban sprawl,” Bond said. “But I don’t think a lot of consideration was taken into existing property.” 

COUNTY PLANNING staff began drafting the ordinance two years ago in coordination with the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority. The new Airport Affected Area would bring Flathead County in compliance with Montana’s Airport Compatibility Act that passed in 2005.  

Local governments were required to establish an Airport Affected Area within a year of the act’s passage, on April 19, 2006. Planning Director Erik Mack said his staff made several attempts over the years to create the designated zone.  

“This is the furthest we’ve ever made it,” Mack said.  

Flathead County’s recent population surge pressured his department to move forward with the drafting process, he said, as the airport expands to keep up with the flood of incoming residents. More than 10,000 people moved into the county between April 2020 and July 2025, according to federal census data. 

“We’re doing this now, before it becomes too late,” Mack said. 

Deputy Airport Director Ian McKay said the county’s population grew by 35% in the 20 years since the act passed. The number of passengers traveling through the airport also increased from 380,000 to more than 1.1 million, he said. 

“You’ve heard me say it before, but incompatible land use is the No. 1 killer of airports,” McKay said.  

He added that noncompliance with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines could jeopardize the airport’s federal funding through the Airport Improvement Program. Glacier Park International Airport received $165 million over the last 20 years through this program for capital improvement projects, he said.  

“They require strict compliance,” McKay said. “Future funding maybe withheld and, in extreme cases, the [Federal Aviation Administration] can require previously dispersed funds to be retained.” 

The planning board will consider the ordinance again at its next meeting on July 8. 

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.