The parent company of Whitefish Mountain Resort wants to build a second subdivision near the East Village section of the resort.  

Winter Sports, Inc., submitted a preliminary plat to develop 23 residential lots on a 7.97-acre property off Glades Drive. The proposed subdivision, called East Village Two, is part of the 2006 Big Mountain Neighborhood Plan, which projects 1,043 units at full buildout. To date, 40 units have been developed.  

The plan goes before the Flathead County Planning Board on Oct. 14, at 6 p.m. The board meets in the second-floor conference room of the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.  

Winter Sports plans to continue building east of the East Village in an undeveloped, highly forested area. Residential lot sizes are less than half an acre, and four common areas provide a combined 0.67 acres of open space. Some units will be built on slopes between 25% and 40%, which will require additional evaluation of geological conditions before final plat approval.  

State wildlife officials warned of high wildlife activity within the area. Black bears and grizzly bears tend to forage there during the warmer seasons, and an unnamed fork of Haskill Creek near the subdivision attracts bears, elk and deer.  

Wildlife officials recommended proactive strategies, such as keeping food and pets inside, to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts.  

THE BOARD will also consider an application for a new zoning district in Lakeside. 

Property owners near Lakeside Boulevard South — an unzoned scenic corridor that winds along Flathead Lake — want to create a new zoning district to protect the neighborhood from overdevelopment. About 70% of affected property owners support the initiative, according to the application. 

The proposed Lakeside Boulevard South  Zoning District covers 82.42 acres and encompasses Lakeside Boulevard, Overlook Terrace and Political Hill Road. It comprises a mix of R-2 (One Family Limited Residential) and RR-1 (Low-density Resort Residential) zones. 

The latter zone permits higher-density development, such as apartments, multi-family dwelling units, boarding houses and duplexes, and covers approximately 54 acres. The R-2 zone sets a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet for single-family dwelling units and covers approximately 33 acres, generally consisting of smaller lakefront parcels, according to a staff report.  

BOARD MEMBERS will also consider applications for subdivisions near Whitefish, Kalispell and West Glacier.

Property owner Craig Beyer wants to split his approximately 100-acre property at 303 Whitefish Hills Loop near Whitefish into four 25-acre residential lots. The proposed subdivision, dubbed Mossy Rock Ridge 2 Subdivision, will be served by individual wells and septic systems.  

The land is zoned AG-20 Agricultural and has a single-family dwelling unit and a guest house. There’s a rifle range south of the property leased by the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. 

Breyer’s application allegedly fails to qualify as a “subdivision” under state law, since the lot sizes are larger than 20 acres, according to planning documents. This means that water supply and wastewater facilities are exempted from review by the state Department of Environmental Quality; however, these facilities are not included in the preliminary plat. 

FARM INDUSTRIAL, Inc., wants to build a 16-lot industrial subdivision on approximately 147 acres of land near Kalispell, at 23 Hetland Lane and 378 Frontage Park Road. Lot sizes range between 4.7 and 18.10 acres, served by individual wells and individual or shared septic systems. 

The proposed subdivision, Farm Industrial No. 2, can be accessed from U.S. 93 via Frontage Park Road, Hetland Lane, Allers Court and Sterner Court. It is partially zoned as a scenic corridor and partially unzoned, with several existing industrial buildings.  

A 100-year floodplain crosses through the subject property, and Patrick Creek flows to its south, winding through the surrounding farmland and wetland areas. The Flathead Conservation District commented that development in this subdivision would “result in a permanent loss of important agricultural land,” according to planning documents. 

ROBIN RIDENOUR is proposing an eight-lot residential subdivision, called Harold’s Acres, at 560 Belton Stage Road near West Glacier. The 100.25-acre property is on the southeast corner of Lake Five, north of Belton Stage Road, and owned by Ridenour Family, LLC. 

Lot sizes range from approximately 10 to 14 acres, with 12.5 acres of space in between. The subdivision will be serviced with individual wells and septic systems. It is in a heavily forested area and zoned Middle Canyon within the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System. 

A creek connecting Lake Five and Mud Lake flows across the northern section of the property. Ridenour proposed a 100-foot vegetative buffer on the southern side of the creek. No buffer is proposed for the opposite bank since a gravel road (Grizzly Spur) runs along the north side of the stream.  

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.