01-09-01KALISPELL CITY -COUNTY PLANNING BOARD
MINUTES OF MEETING
JANUARY 9, 2001
CALL TO ORDER AND Greg Stevens called the meeting to order at approximately 7:00
ROLL CALL p.m. Members present were: Bill Rice, Don Mann, Don Hines,
Don Garberg, Rob Heinecke, Brian Sipe, Greg Stevens and Dale
Pierce. Narda Wilson represented the Flathead Regional
Development Office. There were approximately 42 people in the
audience.
SEATING OF NEW Ron Van Natta was seated as a new member.
MEMBERS
ELECTION OF Heinecke moved and Hines seconded to elect Greg Stevens as
OFFICERS President. On a vote by acclamation the motion was
unanimously approved.
Pierce moved and Mann seconded to elect Don Hines as Vice
President. On a vote by acclamation the motion was
unanimously approved.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES On a motion by Rice and seconded by Sipe the minutes of the
meeting of December 12, 2000 were unanimously approved as
submitted.
HENRY/CURE A conditional use permit request by Leona Henry and Joe Cude
CONDITIONAL USE to allow a community residential facility for short term
PERMIT residential care, for up to five children on property zoned R-3 at
'120 Crestline Avenue in Kalispell.
STAFF REPORT Narda Wilson, of the Flathead Regional Development Office,
gave a presentation of staff report KCU-00-10, to allow a
community residential facility for short term residential care
(30 days or less) for up to five children between the ages of 1 to
14 years of age on property zoned R-3, Residential. This zoning
district lists community residential facilities for eight or fewer
people as a conditionally permitted use. This use is proposed
in an existing single-family home. The home would be licensed
and operated in accordance with the State of Montana Public
Health Department for group homes. Staff recommended the
planning board adopt staff report KCU-00-10 as findings of fact
and recommended approval subject to 3 conditions.
PUBLIC HEARING The public hearing was opened to those who wished to speak
on the proposal.
PROPONENTS Leona Henry, 120 Crestline, said they were proposing to
operate a facility for children 14 and under contracting through
the State of Montana. She said they had done an evaluation of
Kalispell and there was a need in the area. Henry stated they
would not be changing anything and they would not need
additional parking. She said everything should remain the
same in the neighborhood and their house was large enough to
accommodate the children. She said it would be very similar to
a foster home setting, the only difference was that it would be
for only 30 days.
Heinecke asked and Henry answered they would be living in
the home, as a family setting, as surrogate parents.
OPPONENTS Dean Jellison, 116 Crestline, neighbor of the applicant, handed
out a written set of conditions they wanted added to the staff
report. He said they were not enthused about the project, but
Montana statute provided exemption from zoning regulations
for youth foster homes, which can be licensed for up to six
foster children. He said Wilson indicated it was not possible for
the City to impose conditions on Conditional Use Permits other
than what was applicable to a residence. Jellison stated that
was not true. He said the statute indicated they could not
impose safety or sanitary restrictions. He said the conditions
proposed were not related to safety or sanitary, but to use and
community benefit. The areas of concern were parking, visiting
families and officials, and landscaping. Jellison stated that he
disagreed with paragraph 3 stating there would be no
substantial police impact. He said 14 year olds could be wild
and there was a frequent, substantial increase in theft and
vandalism. He also disagreed with paragraph 4, no negative
�1 impacts to neighborhood, and thought that would be accurate
if supplemented by a statement at the beginning, if additional
conditions requested by the neighbors are imposed and
adhered to by the applicant there would be no negative
impacts, etc., on the neighborhood.
Stevens asked if his conditions were submitted to the staff or
reviewed by the City Attorney. Jellison said no and Stevens
said he had difficulty judging what was legal. His
understanding of the report was that out of ordinary conditions
placed on a residence were not allowed.
No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed.
MOTION Rice moved and Sipe seconded to adopt staff report KCU-00-10
as findings of fact and, based on those findings, recommend to
the Kalispell City Council that the conditional use permit be
granted subject to 3 conditions.
BOARD DISCUSSION Garberg stated it was not a conforming use for the area and
wanted to speak out against the proposal.
Van Natta thought the conditions by Jellison were something
in need of legal opinion. He was willing to move forward and
pass it to the City Council for review.
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
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Stevens said they could forward the conditions to the City
Attorney but he was not in favor of including them. Rice,
agreed to pass them along, but not include them in the motion.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 8 in favor and 1
opposed.
CROSSWELL A request by Crosswell Development for a PUD at Hwy 93 and
DEVELOPMENT, LLC. W. Reserve Drive for an approximately 515,000 square foot,
PLANNED UNIT large scale retail development.
DEVELOPMENT
MOTION Hines moved and Heinecke seconded to limit public comment
to 3 minutes. On a roll call vote there were 5 opposed and 4 in
favor. The motion to limit public comment failed.
STAFF REPORT Narda Wilson, of the Flathead Regional Development Office,
gave a presentation on staff report KPUD-00-1, a zone change
request by Crosswell Development for Pack and Company to
allow a Planned Unit Development (PUD), which would replace
the existing Domesite PUD. The PUD would function as an
overlay for the B-2, General Commercial, zoning designation
and would replace the previous development proposal. The
new development proposal includes three large commercial
pads that contain between 127,337 and 148,663 square feet
located to the east of the site and five smaller commercial pads
that contain between 18,000 and 24,200 square feet located
along the west side for a total of approximately 513,246 square
feet of commercial development. The property 'contains
approximately 60 acres of land.
Wilson stated it was a phase development with 8 phases, to be
built over 12 years, depending on the market, and subdivided
so they could be conveyed separately. There were several
considerations by staff, the deviation from zoning and
subdivision regulations, and the building height exceeding the
maximum at 38 feet, with an additional 7 feet for rooftop
mounted devices. Signs at the main entrance were proposed to
be 28 feet in height, and would exceed the 200 square foot
maximum. Other considerations were the provision of . open
space, including landscaping and irrigation. Staff
recommended approval subject to 31 conditions.
PUBLIC HEARING The public hearing was opened to those who wished to speak
on the proposal.
PROPONENTS Mike Fraser, Thomas, Dean, & Hoskins engineering consultant,
spoke in favor of the proposal stating that the proposed PUD
would give the City a definable, concrete product. They
prepared a plan, which they believed would provide
C� enhancement to the entrance into the City of Kalispell in
consideration of the neighborhood plan across the road. The
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
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PUD provides public comment so it could be incorporated into
the overall project. He said the project deviated significantly
from the Domesite PUD by proposing less commercial area and
a component for open space. He said the Domesite received a
major variance for an entrance sign of 1025 square feet, plus
250 square feet of reader board. They were asking for 270
square feet per face. He said the sign would be very attractive,
made of rock and timber. The overall impact of the project, in
total, would be significantly less than what was approved for
the Domesite. He asked for the opportunity to proceed with a
quality development. Fraser stated 20% of the project was
open space with color -coordinated buildings that would blend
in with the area. He said that parking lot maintenance would
be addressed in the covenants. Fraser asked for several
modifications in the conditions; #9, 10, 11, 19, 23, 24, and 28.
He stated the PUD was in conformance with the Master Plan
and asked that he be allowed rebuttal testimony.
Sipe asked how many jobs would be created by the project and
Fraser answered that all levels of jobs and wages would be
available. A good estimate would be 1,000 to 1500 for the
whole site.
Stevens asked why condition # 19 was changed to read, the use
of retaining walls, where possible, be avoided. Fraser said they
were expensive. He said there were situations where they
could not be avoided, however, he didn't want it to be
interpreted as being prohibited.
Stan Beard, representing Crosswell Development, Houston,
Texas, spoke in favor of the project stating he did not want to
rehash Fraser's comments, but wanted to repeat the points
that were serious to them. Condition #11, he said putting a
25-foot driveway in would eliminate some parking. He felt
certain traffic flow was well taken care of. Condition. #22, he
said they would like to propose a lighting plan that was
comprehensive, reduce light pollution, and uses contemporary,
commonly used fixtures. Condition #23 was a major issue and
he passed around a sign proposal. Beard stated they could not
get around the fact that their customers relied on signage, for
I.D. and lifeblood, signage and parking was like the holy grail.
He asked for 20 feet over the allowable square footage to make
sure the larger guys got the signage they required, while
smaller ones still had signage. He said signage had become
more of an issue because the big boxes were set 700-800 feet
off of Hwy 93. He added that they fully expected to sit down
with the City and go through a comprehensive sign plan. He
said they made a lot of concessions with 20 acres of green
space. He respected that this was a big entrance into Kalispell,
but his back was against the wall.
Blair Warehime, Home Depot site coordinator, West Covina,
California, emphasized the north side parking and said they
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 4 of 28
knew about circulation in their driveways. He said they
required developers to construct the parking lot a certain way,
wider than normal with larger isle ways. His said this plan met
-- geometric requirements. Signage was a major issue. He
passed out a colored illustration of the store and .said that
scale was of serious importance, it had to fit the building in
height and front elevations. He also noted the building set
back from Hwy 93 900-1000 feet and they considered the
speed of the highway. Signage was consistent throughout their
stores, as was lighting. To keep maintenance down they don't
have different fixtures on different sites.
Van Natta asked and Warehime answered that lighting would
be consistent in the entire parking lot.
Stevens asked and Warehime answered that Home Depot did
an extensive study on parking ratios and he believed the
parking would meet peak time usage.
Hines noted that Home Depot was the largest single purchaser
of Plum Creek products. Mr. Warehime could not confirm that.
Jim Lynch, 430 Lake Hills Lane, President of Pack and
Company, said he reviewed the information of Thomas, Dean
and Hoskins and thought it was a good change from the
current use of the property and a far cry from the gravel pit.
He said he was pleased to see a project like this with Columbia
Falls Aluminum cut backs and the closing of mills. He thought
it would provide increased taxes for schools, additional jobs,
including construction jobs during the process of building and
for many years after. He said it was a welcome change and a
tremendous benefit.
Jay Wentz, La Jolla, California, with Hamstead Partners
development team, lend general support for the project. He
thought it gave the City and County an opportunity for
development standards with traffic and building design as the
northern corridor experienced growth. He understood there
were issues left to discuss. Looking ahead, he believed it was
good for the area and urged the board to consider the long-
term impacts of not only the development but the technology
park across the street.
Russ Crowder, 2860 Lower Lost Prairie, represented
Montanans for Property Rights. He said the north was heavily
residential and this project, if approved, would provide easy
shopping and access to the residents now and in the future.
He said it was a great benefit to keep residents from having to
travel great distances and it prevented sprawl. He thought it
r represented smart growth. He said the project would increase
the tax base and help resolve and lower taxes for citizens. He
asked the board to approve the project with the recommended
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 5 of 28
amendments made by the engineering consultants.
Bill Goodman, 50 2nd Street East, said he was not making
--- money on the project and he didn't live next to it. The issue,
he said, was that it was an appropriate use for the location and
it made more sense than all the rest. He said it had good
transportation access, it's closer to the core with increasing
density and he supported it.
Tim Prince, 475 Cayuse Lane, business owner and resident,
supported the project saying it was a reasonable use of the
property and a definite improvement. There was obviously a
need to fuel economic growth and, without question, when you
can get goods at a lower price it begins the recycling process of
money. He said he had concerns about the lighting. He said
he could appreciate the importance of lighting and didn't think
it should be a blockbuster, but two, 20 square foot excesses in
the big sky area, he thought Flathead Valley could spare that.
He said the context of the whole was important, for example,
glaring or muted lights. He didn't think it should be an eye
stopper, but done in good taste.
OPPONENTS Mayre Flowers, Citizens For A Better Flathead, spoke neutrally.
She thought it was unfortunate that they were trying to pit
community members against each other and suggested as the
community grew, that a process that preceded the public
hearing to provide informal dialog was necessary, like an open
house for the public by the developer. She said she did not
have detailed public comment and was not taking a position,
because information was lacking, but said she was following
the project closely and would be coming to the City Council
with additional comments. She was encouraged this was being
brought forth as a PUD as it authored the ability to provide
clear detail, but needed tightening up. She said some items
had been detailed and others needed to be clarified; lighting
and signs being proposed, etc. She felt it was important the
City and MDOT work together and recommended a cumulative
study on State land with specific comments in regard to
infrastructure, water and sewer and traffic. She thought that
information needed to be brought to the public so they could
comment as well. In reference to condition #3, a more
comprehensive storm water plan for the area was needed. She
believed condition #4 was inadequate to proceed with economic
impacts, they needed to look at studies that look at the job
shifting and retail shifting that takes place when a large retail
facility comes into a community, which would require an
analysis of economic impact to existing businesses. She
quoted statistics of similar local businesses, which summarized
as a total of 132 million dollars in sales, having 742 workers
with annual wages of 21,700 dollars. She said these were
significant economic figures for the Valley and it was important
they were brought up and looked at. Flowers stated that
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 6 of 28
clearly a large scale, big box retail development, needed to be
looked at for the nature of shifting brought about. She said
there were no comparisons of existing retail space to
' population. For example, the large, retail shopping on the
outskirts of Evergreen, would it accommodate retail expansion
of the valley. She said more extensive information needed to be
provided to the public.
Dale Luhman, 169 Trailridge, spoke against the proposal
stating reasons of traffic congestion, Hwy 93 impacts, dust
pollution, noise pollution and the negative impacts of quality of
life. He said the current traffic figures would increase,
approaching 50,000 cars on average daily. He said it was the
most congested intersection of the state and peak times
seemed to be getting worse. He added that a retail center
would suggest a lot of congestion from 8 am to 10 pm. He was
also concerned about the proposed building height, the lack of
information to the public and he expected all impacts to be
identified relating to MDOT and Hwy 93. He said that without
knowing what the changes were this was all premature. He
argued that visually, with thousands of parking spaces and box
stores, a gravel pit looked better with a view of the Swan
Range. He added that non-commercial zoning would make a
rough transition. He was concerned about effects on water,
hazardous waste, and ground water contamination. He
commented on the air relating to traffic and wondered what the
measurements would be to meet clean air standards. In
relation to condition #4 he stated adverse impacts of increased
traffic, diminished property values, poorer quality of life, traffic
delays, pollution, and noise. He said there was not enough
information available to the public and his biggest dilemma
was how to protect the neighborhood. He urged the planning
board to solicit more information about water, sewer and traffic
impacts.
Corina Weldenbach stated the development would change the
north side of town and she didn't like it. She said there were
old, abandoned box stores in town they could use and asked
what would happen to the open space, where you can see the
mountains, when huge stores and huge signs go in. She said
building stores so far from Kalispell made it a less walk -able
city, similar to Evergreen, which was not beautiful. She said it
made her sad and other people had economic interests. She
asked the board to look at the bigger picture and take a more
personal interest, suggesting they go up to Lone Pine and look
out on valley. She asked they imagine what it would be like if
it was filled with buildings.. She thought it was sprawl. If the
project was approved she asked for 3 things; they extend the
bike path into Kalispell, so it's accessible through human run
transportation, they make the buildings as low as existing
zoning, and they require that signs do not block the scenery.
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 7 of 28
No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed.
(� MOTION (MAIN) Mann moved and Heinecke seconded to adopt staff report
KPUD-00-1 as findings of fact and recommend to the Kalispell
City Council that the PUD overlay be approved subject to 31
conditions as recommended by staff.
MOTION (AMENDED) Sipe moved and Hines seconded to delete "and the city of
Kalispell" from condition #9.
BOARD DISCUSSION Stevens said he was trying to avoid overlapping jurisdictions
and suggested a single point of contact. Van Natta said they
may have to deal with both if both are involved. It was pointed
out that MDOT signed permits and reviewed traffic studies.
Garberg spoke against the motion stating the City of Kalispell
was represented by the council and the State governed itself.
Van Natta suggested there may be aspects at the City level that
they were not aware of. He thought the State had primary
jurisdiction but the City was involved.
Mann said the City was involved because of the impacts of
DNRC across the street for things such as streetlights and he
thought the City should be involved in the discussion.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion failed with 4 in favor and 5
against.
MOTION (AMENDED) Garberg moved and Sipe seconded to amend condition # 10 to
read, "subject to recommendation of the traffic impact study".
BOARD DISCUSSION Van Natta thought MDOT had the final call. Stevens agreed
and said the concern was that they were asking for a
comprehensive study and then, in the next condition, asking
for an access to be eliminated before the State and City studied
the access. He thought it was premature.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 8 in favor and 1
opposed.
MOTION (AMENDED) Rice moved and Mann seconded to strike condition # 11.
BOARD DISCUSSION Heinecke said he didn't like the idea of the long traffic isles, if
you miss a spot you have to drive all the way around. He liked
the idea of having a mid connector, but was not married to the
idea.
Mann thought the developers had more experience in
developing parking lots than the planning board and thought
they should be able to do what they want.
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 8 of 28
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 8 in favor and 1
opposed.
MOTION (AMENDED) Hines moved and Pierce seconded to amend condition # 19 to
read, the use of retaining walls in excess of 4 feet tall be
avoided "where possible".
BOARD DISCUSSION Rice asked what they would use for retaining walls and Fraser
answered they were considering a keystone block. Rice
suggested they add decorative retaining walls so it was not a
concrete wall. Fraser asked if they could leave that to the
designers and developers to work out.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.
MOTION (AMENDED) Heinecke moved and Mann seconded to strike condition #22.
BOARD DISCUSSION Van Natta thought it didn't need to be decorative, but needed
to be downward directed lighting opposed to skyward lighting.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion failed with 3 in favor and 6
opposed.
MOTION (AMENDED) Sipe moved and Garberg seconded to amend condition #22 to
read "standard, downward directed lighting".
BOARD DISCUSSION Stevens asked if Wilson wanted to include any other language
and she said no, it was fine. Heinecke agreed. Garberg
mentioned that Mr. Prince asked for an adjustment of the
lighting.. He asked if it met with the standards of the
corporation and Fraser said it would work.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.
BOARD DISCUSSION Beard requested the board consider a variance, up to 270
square feet, and 28' in height at the property boundary for
their pylon signs.
Stevens concluded that they were talking about legalized, spot
zoning, to take a particular area and design it. In this case, he
said, unlike a B-2 they have a total plan. To make that plan
work it requires the extra footage on the sign. To make the
PUD conform to the standard zoning maybe those sign
regulations are appropriate, where they might not be for a B-2.
He said they were talking about between a 20 and 70 square
foot difference.
Wilson called upon P.J. Sorenson for clarification. Sorenson
stated it was not accurate to say an extra 20 feet. He said
_ zoning ordinance stated, for every zone except general
Jresidential there is a table for freestanding signs with limits on
the height and amount of square footage per face based on the
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 9 of 28
distance from the right of way. Based on the proposal from the
developers they would be at the right-of-way line. Sorenson
said the right-of-way line was limited to 15 feet in height and
-- 60 square feet per sign face. With the comprehensive plan they
could increase it to 75 square feet per sign face. He said they
were really talking about an extra 200 square feet per face,
which was 3 1/2 times larger than what should be allowed. He
said that if they moved the sign back 51 feet from the right of
way, instead of right at the line, they could say 28 feet is the
maximum allowed and 200 or with the comprehensive plan,
250 square feet is allowed.
Stevens asked if there was something objectionable about the
size of their signs and asked Sorenson to cut to the chase. He
said that what the regulations said was irrelevant because it
was a PUD.
Sorenson said if they wanted a good default there were PUD
provisions in the sign ordinance. He said it specifically limits it
to one freestanding or wall sign per developed use with a limit
of 24 square feet per sign and 6 feet above natural grade. He
said the general provisions of the B-2 zone provided for
shopping centers and lots containing multiple businesses. He
added that sign area calculations were based on the building's
frontage. With a shopping center you multiply the frontage by
3.5 for the first 200 feet and 1.5 after that.
Stevens asked how the Valley Dome got such a large sign and
Wilson stated that staff recommended against it. She said the
reason it was finally granted was because the applicants were
able to convince the City Council that because of the nature of
the business and advertising events like hockey games and
concerts, a large, animated sign was something they needed.
She also pointed out that PUD regulations stated that a
deviation from the zoning should serve some public interest or
provide some mitigation and it was staffs position that a larger
sign did not serve the public interest it merely served the
interest of the applicant. She didn't think the additional
advertising was necessary.
Garberg pointed out that it was stated that the sign was critical
to the project.
Sorenson compared other signs in the County such as Wal
Mart; total sign area 432 square feet for the entire property and
said Kmart, ShopKo, and Office Max were the same way.
Stevens said it was an aesthetic matter and there was a
tremendous advantage to having a readable sign. He said we
_\ were all in it together.
Wilson said the point came up because there were inaccuracies
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 10 of 28
in saying it was 20 feet beyond what would otherwise be
allowed, when actually it was much more.
-J Stevens said it did not comply with the B-2 Zoning Regulations.
Hines said it could be eliminated by taking Mountain View
Plaza off the top and leaving the various store locations the
same size.
Wilson noted they were missing the point. A 28 foot height and
250 square foot sign would only be allowed with a 51 foot set
back. As proposed at the property boundary there would be a
15 foot height limit and a 75 square foot sign, so it was not a
20 square foot deviation, it was a 200 square foot deviation.
Sipe said the stores were 20 feet below ground level and traffic
may not be able to see the stores.
Stevens said if they could not demonstrate a health, safety or
general welfare reason to not let the developer go ahead with
the sign they thought would work than he was not interested in
talking about it anymore.
Rice disagreed. He thought they were being short sighted and
aesthetically it was too large of a sign. He thought it should
comply with the Kalispell City Ordinance for signage. He said
everyone would know where Home Depot was and we didn't
l need big signs cluttering up the highway corridor to point out
where the stores were. He thought it should be kept as stated
in the original proposal.
Garberg said that was well and good but they were dealing with
a different set of circumstances. This was a special project
with stop gaps and approvals to make sure it was aesthetically
pleasing down the road. He said they knew what they needed
to make it work with parking lots and signage and the board
members were not experts. He thought it was a battle for the
architectural committees and the City Council down the road.
He felt they should give the developer the latitude to make a
proposal for what they wanted to do.
Rice disagreed saying whether or not they had a large sign
didn't compare to the technicality of traffic in the parking lot.
Van Natta was concerned that a pylon sign on the property line
would be in the vision of people trying to get on and off the
road. He said it might effect traffic vision because it came all
the way to the ground. He wondered if it was possible to move
it back some and still allow up to 200 square feet. He thought
they could have some latitude, since it was a PUD with
multiple tenants, to have something additional.
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 11 of 28
Beard said their property line and right of way was 41 feet from
the road. He said he would go 51 feet from the road. He said
n the other mitigating circumstance, if he goes much further
back, the 28 foot sign becomes a 15 foot sign, he loses that
much grade. Also, Home Depot told him that under no
circumstances would they take a sign any less than what
they've offered. He said they had backed up on a lot of issues
and this was as far back as they could go. He said he would
like the opportunity to work with the City on a comprehensive
sign plan that everyone could be happy with.
Stevens wanted to insert some language that was acceptable to
Home Depot and the City of Kalispell.
Beard wanted it stipulated that he get the pylon sign variance
that was requested. He said he was even more concerned that
a comprehensive sign plan with the City would, once again, be
him backing down. Eventually, he said, it's over. The 35 by 35
foot sign was approved because they said they needed it. He
needed a comprehensive sign package on the full project that
would address the City's problem and his concerns about
getting enough signs for everyone.
Hines asked if Beard backed down by creating muted colors
and a store front that blended with the theme set by Rosauers,
versus a typical box building like Ernst. He suggested they lost
some identity by getting rid of corporate colors and they were
trying to preserve some identity along the highway to get people
into the store. Hines asked Fraser if he had any input on
wording to get the issue moving forward.
Rice asked if there were cities where they had a Home Depot
with a more restrictive sign ordinance than Kalispell.
Warehime said there were a lot of cities, but they didn't sit
1000 feet off the road or 20 feet down. He said diminished or
restrictive signs happened in more suburban areas with more
of an arterial and 400 feet back. He said in Wyoming, Utah,
and Idaho he had not experienced that. He said Missoula sat
1000 feet back and they had a heck of a time distinguishing it,
and it wasn't down 20 feet into the ground.
MOTION (AMENDED) Pierce moved and Hines seconded to amend condition #23 to
read, a comprehensive sign plan be submitted, which indicates
an integrated design, not to exceed 270 square feet.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 7 in favor and 2
opposed.
MOTION (AMENDED) Pierce moved and Mann seconded to amend condition #24 to
delete the word lumber yards
BOARD DISCUSSION Rice asked if all their lumber was kept inside and it was stated
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January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 12, of 28
that yes, except when loading in the back and whatever goes
out the front.
Van Natta asked if they had to specify casinos. He said he
would like to amend the motion to not include casinos or those
which require areas that would display large merchandise.
Stevens suggested Pierce withdraw his motion, Mann withdraw
his second and they strike lumber yards and substitute it with
foreign casinos.
Fraser spoke against that saying that if a restaurant came in
with a full beverage license, casinos come with the license. He
said it was allowed in the B-2, it was not something they were
saying would happen, but it was not an inappropriate location
or use for the area.
Stevens asked and Wilson answered that unless it was part of
the initial application and anticipated under the proposal it
would have to go through the conditional use permit process.
Stevens said that if they didn't specifically prohibit them, a
proposal coming through for a casino would go through this
board and the city council. If it was an objectionable operation
they could deny the CUP. Wilson said she needed to speak to
the City Attorney to be certain.
Stevens said his recommendation was to strike the word
lumber yards from the condition, period. He added that Mr.
Van Natta could run it up the church at his next meeting and
do what he wished to do.
Rice added that they shouldn't side step an issue by saying the
City Council would take care of it. He said they were there to
make recommendations and deal with the issues that needed
to be dealt with.
Heinecke asked that they bring it up -at the end of the meeting.
He thought it was an issue that they did side step a lot.
ROLL. CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.
BOARD DISCUSSION There was a discussion about amending condition 28,
regarding bonding as part of the subdivision requirements for
the proposed infrastructure and improvements.
Heinecke clarified that they wanted to limit the size of the
bonding to each phase of the project. Fraser agreed and
suggested the wording be; 'bonding for proposed public
improvements shall be provided as part of subdivision". He
said they had to either build them or bond for them before they
could complete the subdivision, which would then complete
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 13 of 28
that phase.
Wilson expressed concerns that there were no guarantees
anything would go in besides Phase 1 regarding public or
private improvements. She added that condition 28, whether
through a bond or other acceptable means of collateral,
insured that public infrastructure would be put in place.
Hines believed that once the infrastructure was in the project
would be developed to it's maximum. Fraser said when they go
up the highway with water and sewer it would be big enough
for all of the development. Hines stated the City had a vested
interest. It was stated that if the bonding issue were that
simple they would agree to bonding up front.
It was argued that the condition stated infrastructure and
improvements. The question was, what were the
improvements.
Sipe suggested they were trying to bond each section as they
went. Fraser agreed and said it was all part of Phase 1 to
design it and the City had to say how big it was going to be
going up the highway. He said it would be big enough for
everything and once they got into the site they might realize
they need a roof over here and a sewer line extension over
there.
Sipe wanted to add language to say; provided by the developer
on each phase as the project develops.
Wilson asked why they would need to bond if it were as each
project developed.
Sipe said they could not get a 12 year bond.
MOTION (AMENDED) Sipe moved and Hines seconded to amend condition 28 to read,
"the phasing and timing of the development shall occur as
proposed. Bonding for proposed public water and sewer, or
other acceptable means of insuring that the improvements will
be completed as proposed, shall be provided by the developer
on each phase as the project develops."
BOARD DISCUSSION Van Natta was concerned about what would happen if the
water main shut down and the well wasn't developed until
phase 3. He said if the well didn't pan out they would end up
with a non -loop system. Fraser said they were intending an 8
inch loop around Home Depot as part of Phase 1. Van Natta
was concerned that if the system was down or a main broke on
the highway they would be high and dry without water. He
thought the other piece of the puzzle should be part of the
initial development, instead of waiting for phase 3.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 14 of 28
Fraser said that when they start into design that was one of the
issues that would be addressed.
Van Natta recommended that Public Works didn't issue a
building permit until they knew the well was going to work. He
said they needed to see the tests on it and Fraser said we all.
do. He said they needed to know the water was there.
Stevens asked if it was an issue that would be addressed in the
development agreement. Fraser said yes, and through the City
of Kalispell Public Works and the building permit.
Van Natta asked about bonding and Fraser said that if it
became part of the Phase 1 improvements it would have to be
bonded to go under the condition. Van Natta stressed that the
question needed to be resolved, were they going to use the well
and was that going to be part of the system, or were they going
to loop a line in. Van Natta said it was in the old PUD and
thought it should be carried forward. Fraser said they would
like to get through the zoning, through the PUD change, with
assurances that they have a project and then put forth the
effort to answer those questions.
Sorenson stated that they were doing a disservice to the
developer if they ignored issues that needed to be dealt with
and pretended they would be dealt with one month from now.
He said the developer would rather know now what was to be
expected then to continue with issues that have already cost
them in bonding.
Stevens said the difficulty with that was that they couldn't give
them an answer now because they were only an advisory
board.
Fraser wanted to refer back to condition #6 regarding fire
access and review. It was pointed out that that answered the
previous question.
Rice said he would have a hard time voting for the amendment
without understanding the reasons why they needed bonding
for the whole PUD.
Heinecke said he agreed with Rice, but didn't want to shoot the
project in the foot.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 6 in favor and 3
opposed.
MOTION (AMENDED) Van Natta moved and Mann seconded to amend condition 29 to
read, the removal and or relocation of the batch plant,
C� associated equipment and warehouses located on the NuPac
and the Montana Department of Transportation be
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 15 of 28
accomplished prior to the occupancy of the Phase 2
development.
BOARD DISCUSSION Stevens asked what it did to staffs recommendation and
Wilson said it would change the requirement that relocation be
done prior to occupancy of Phase 1, they were saying prior to
occupancy of Phase 2, which would allow the Home Depot site
to go in and uncertain about the rest of the development.
Fraser added that the MDOT site would go away with Phase 1.
He said it was possible that the concrete and asphalt plant
would be building the improvements in Phase 2 and they would
only benefit to have them there.
Van Natta asked why FRDO wanted the batch plant out by
occupancy and Wilson said the concern was that Phase 1
would go in and nothing else would go in and the batch plant
stays and they get Home Depot and the gravel pit both.
Van Natta suggested a date and it was stated they had a
schedule in the plan.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 7 in favor and 2
opposed.
BOARD DISCUSSION Stevens reviewed condition #31, which was covered in the main
motion, that Domesite LLC pact relinquish their interest in
existing development agreement prior to a new development
agreement being executed for this proposal. Stevens asked if it
was a possibility or impossibility.
Fraser stated it was a legal question as to how it would be
accomplished. There was an existing agreement with
signatures that had to be nullified with an overlay of a new
one. He said the condition was open ended enough that they
could work with it.
Rice was concerned that with all the amendments they took
some meat out of the deal, although, he thought it was a great
idea and a great spot for Home Depot.
Mann said there was always the possibility it would not
happen, but they had to start somewhere. He said they may
run into obstacles that would preclude them from completing.
ROLL CALL (MAIN On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.
MOTION)
EVERGREEN RAIL A zone change request by Evergreen Rail Industrial Center from
1 INDUSTRIAL CENTER I-2 to I-1 on approximately 40 acres located west of LaSalle
ZONE CHANGE Road and south of West Reserve Drive in Evergreen.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 16 of 28
STAFF REPORT Narda Wilson, of the Flathead Regional Development Office,
gave a presentation on staff report FZC-00-11, a zone change
�) request by Evergreen Rail industrial Center from I-2, Heavy
Industrial, to I-1, Light Industrial on approximately 40 acres.
The purpose of the zone change request was to provide an area
for high tech industrial development rather than heavy
industrial development. Concurrent with the request for a zone
change, the applicants have filed for an amendment to the
Flathead County Zoning Regulations that would allow high
tech industrial businesses as a permitted use in the I-1, Light
Industrial, Zoning District and to provide for a definition for
"high tech industrial business." The zoning text amendment
would go before the Flathead County Planning Board at their
regularly January 10, 2001 meeting for consideration. The
applicants have interested parties for these types of uses in the
existing subdivision, which would not be allowed under the
current I-2, Heavy Industrial zoning designation.
Stevens said that since there had to be a text amendment
anyway it would be simpler to add the uses to the existing
zoning, skip the hearing and just have the County hearing and
save Mr. Yachechak $900.
Wilson stated there were other uses on the property that were
non -conforming under the I-2 zoning that would comply with I-
1. She said I-1 zoning was a way to correct the existing
�- situation and potential violations existing on the site.
Stevens asked how they slipped in.
Wilson said it was a lack of communication.
PUBLIC HEARING The public hearing was opened to those who wished to speak
on the proposal.
PROPONENTS Ken Yachechak, 157 N. Meridian Road, stated that Evergreen
Rail and Industrial was a wholly owned subsidiary of Flathead
Electric Co-op. His partner, Jim Thompson, and he were trying
to bring Flathead County out of the 1950's into e-commerce or
the e-world. He said to do that they didn't need business they
needed industrial zoning with allowable uses. He said
computers were not in use 20 years ago and they were looking
for the kind of businesses that were computer based, high tech
based, or fiber optic based for the industrial park. He said
rural use and heavy industrial was nonexistent and they were
trying to go to e-commerce. That was what the government
and legislature would like to see. His partner, Flathead
Electric Co-op, thought it was very positive for the Valley. They
were trying to bring business in and amend the text so that
other individuals trying to develop property similar to theirs
had the ability to do it without butting up against rules. He
said he was in favor of the staff recommendations.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 17 of 28
OPPONENTS No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed.
�) MOTION Rice moved and Pierce seconded to adopt staff report FZC-00-
11 as findings of fact and, based on those findings recommend
to the Board of County Commissioners the requested zone
change from I-2 to I-1 be approved.
BOARD DISCUSSION There was no board discussion.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Yachechak added that Wilson and her staff had been
wonderful in helping them step through the process. He said
she was very helpful in working with he and his partner with
all the procedures necessary to make it all possible and added
that he knew she took a lot of flack for other items, but for him,
on this one, he was very grateful to her.
LEADING, MEYERS A zone change request by Keading, Meyers and Grosswiler from
GROSSWILER ZONE AG-80 to SAG-10 on approximately 506 acres in the West
CHANGE Valley overlay District and West Side Zoning District.
STAFF REPORT Narda Wilson, of the Flathead Regional Development Office,
gave a presentation on staff report FZC-00-09, a zone change
request from AG=80, an Agricultural zoning district that has a
minimum lot size requirement of 80 acres, to SAG-10, a
Suburban Agricultural zoning district that has a minimum lot
size requirement of 10 acres. The property owners would like
to divest portions of their holdings in parcels of approximately
ten acres. Based upon the West Valley Land Use Advisory
Committee's recommendation for West Valley Zoning staff
recommended West Valley Zoning for the property.
Hines asked how long ago the zoning was set up and Wilson
answered the cluster standards and different thresholds for
parcel creation was in 1997.
Heinecke asked if staff was recommending no zoning. Wilson
stated the recommendation was that if be zoned West Valley
Zoning District, which had the same standards everyone else in
the West Valley had. Heinecke asked if the properties were
zoned AG-80 and Wilson said they were, but with a West Valley
overlay, which allowed cluster developing at higher densities.
Heinecke asked if the AG-80 would be taken off and Wilson
said yes. It would just be West Valley Zoning District.
Mann pointed out that if they wanted to alter the zoning of the
property they would have to go to the West Valley group and
Wilson said they already did, on December 19th. She said the
committee recommended they be given the West Valley Zoning
District designation and the AG-80 and overlay go away.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 18 of 28
Garberg asked if it went down to 20 acre parcels and Wilson
said yes. This particular property, because of the soils could
n only go down to 20's or cluster at 1 dwelling to 10 acres or 1
dwelling to 5 acres density.
Garberg asked if staff foresaw services coming to the area as
creating a problem, down the road, for owners to rezone. He
said when arbitrary zones were established people had to come
back and change everything. He wondered if it were more
appropriate to recommend changing a zone now that would
allow the city to expand into it. Wilson said no, not unless
services would be available to it because they didn't want
premature development of lots that we were not able to go back
and redevelop with services.
There was a brief discussion between Stevens and Wilson to
clarify the area zoning designation. Stevens wondered if they
were tying up 76% of the property that would later be served by
sewer and water. It was concluded that a provision be put in
to provide an open space covenant that would allow further
development once public utilities were brought in. Wilson said
that if they came in with a subdivision it would be reasonable
to do that, however, that was not the proposal before them.
Stevens wanted all the board members to understand what was
coming down the pike. He stated that for these people to get
10 acre parcels, like they thought they were getting, they had
to designate half of it to open space, which would lock it up to
the rest of the community when services became available and
it would be a terribly inadvisable thing for the board to do.
PUBLIC HEARING The public hearing was opened to those who wished to. speak
on the proposal.
PROPONENTS Larry Lirme, 1705 Emmom Canyon, Kila, said he was
representing Helen Kaeding, Starling Grosswiler, and
Genevieve Meyers. He asked they raise their hands so the
board saw they were real people. He didn't want them to think
they were just a zone change or a piece of land, or someone
who wanted something for nothing. He said these people had
been on the farms for a long time, over 60 years. He said he
went to Wilson for one reason, he had Helen's land for sale for
$3500.00 per acre and she owns 142 acres. He said farmers
don't like the land because they can't make any money on it,
but he couldn't find anyone that wanted 142 acres for a home
site. He said there were other considerations. The ladies
wanted to give some of the property to their children and some
to their church. Also, to sell some to take care of them for the
rest of their life. He said the zoning eliminated those
possibilities for the ladies and it was an unfair proposition. He
l j said he talked to Wilson, they discussed SAG-5 and SAG-10
and the only difference was 5 or 10 acre minimums, no
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 19 of 28
clustering provisions. The clustering was not a consideration
to the ladies because they couldn't afford to put in a
development. He said they wanted to sell. He said Keading
02 had to sell big pieces, 80 acres and got $3,000.00 an acre for it.
If it was zoned SAG-5 or SAG-10 she could get 7, 8, or
$9,000.00 per acre. She could get more money selling less land
if the zoning got down to manageable sizes. It made sense to
correct the zoning. He said Wilson said she would give him a
favorable recommendation for SAG-10 zoning and after they got
done at West Valley she asked the board for denial of the SAG-
10 zoning. He said he didn't agree with what she did, he
thought she stabbed them in the back. Helen wrote a check for
$3,295 dollars for the rezoning. He thought it was crazy that
she had to put up this kind of money, especially after looking
at what Home Depot just paid. He said they got a favorable
recommendation from Wilson and thought the planning office
would go along with them. As soon as they went to the West
Valley Committee, they said they wanted us in their zoning
district. It made sense, they wanted us in their district, west of
town, 1500 feet from an R-2 zone. He said he had never done
this before and maybe he wasn't the one who should have done
it, but he didn't want them to have to pay someone to do it. He
said if he would have known what he knew now he would have
asked for SAG-5 zoning not SAG-10. He said he didn't want to
risk Helen's $3,295.00. If they looked at zoning around them
to the east, on the other side of Stillwater Road, it was SAG-10
and this was abutting that, so it would not be spot zoning. If
you look at the Master Plan, on the other side of Stillwater
Road, it is High Density Residential. He said they were not
asking for anything really out there or to make a fortune
developing land, they had different uses and they were asking
for help to get it done.
Stevens said that, just as a note, it was very complicated. The
West Valley Zoning District and West Valley Overlay, the SAG-
10, and the whole thing, he didn't think there was a member
on the board that understood it, and a person that he knew of,
other than a professional planner, who could go out, take a
look at a piece of property and tell you what you could do with
it. You had to take soil samples, slope samples, measure the
road, this and that and it was very complicated. In defense of
Linne he said they had a lot of experience and they couldn't
figure it out. He asked Linne if he understood that if they got
West Valley zoning that they wouldn't have 10 acre parcels.
Linne said he knew that. Stevens said he would get 20 acre
parcels. Linne said no, we could make 10 acre parcels.
Stevens said they could not make 10 acre parcels and Linne
said, no, we could. He added that SAG-10 zoning did not
require clustering at all. Wilson stated they could have SAG-10
with an overlay, so they could do 10-acre parcels or they could
get additional density by doing clustering with 1 for 5.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 20 of 28
There was some confusion regarding the West Valley Zoning
District, SAG-10, and the West Valley Overlay. It was
1 concluded that they wanted SAG-10 without the overlay.
Wilson said they could get rid of the overlay but it wouldn't
hurt them to keep it.
Stevens asked, if under the West Valley overlay, they could do
10 acre parcels without clustering. He said he thought there
was a 20 acre density in the West Valley Overlay. Wilson said
if they had the underlying SAG-10 zoning they could do the
10's or they could increase their density and do 1 dwelling per
5 acres and do clustering.
Stevens asked and Wilson answered that with a SAG-5 in the
West Valley Overlay they could do 5 acre parcels without
clustering. Stevens clarified that if they wanted to give them a
straight SAG-10 they didn't want to give them a West Valley
Zoning District designation. Wilson said that was correct, they
were two completely different things.
Linne stated he was unclear about the overlay and Wilson said
the overlay didn't do anything but give them additional density
if they wanted to cluster, it did not hurt them in any way, it
actually helped. Linne said he was so unclear about what the
West Valley Zoning was that he couldn't make heads or tails
out of it. He said it was 2 zoning districts in 1.
�) Stevens gave a synopsis of what he heard said, rather than risk
$3,295.00 Linne went for something they didn't want. Linne
said no, we wanted SAG-10, we said SAG-5. Stevens said you
wanted SAG-5 instead of SAG-10 and Linne said, right. Wilson
said no, they talked about SAG-5 and she was told they wanted
SAG-10 and she wanted to put that on the table clearly; Linne
said they talked about SAG-5 and SAG-10 and Wilson said she
would make a positive recommendation for SAG-10. Wilson
said that was not what she recalled.
Garberg asked if he went in for a SAG-5 and Linne said he
went in to talk to Wilson about the possible zoning differences
they could come up with to help the gals out. Garberg clarified
that Wilson told him that she could recommend a SAG-10 but
not a SAG-5, Linne said, correct, that was exactly what she
said. Garberg said that in the process he made the application
and when it went to West Valley they wanted to take it over and
then FRDO came back and recommended denial of your
request of SAG-10. Linne said that was correct, because they
lived in the West Valley Overlay district they had to deal with
the West Valley Committee. Garberg, to understand one step
further asked, if Linne had his way now, knowing what he
knows, he would come to the board and ask for a SAG-5.
Stevens said the issue was one that disturbed him. He
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 21 of 28
remarked that when they were dealing with fees in the size of
$3,295.00 for an old lady, that was baloney. He said the
weight that gave to a FRDO in determining what they applied
for was tremendous. Linne didn't want to risk $3,295.00 so he
would do what they suggested he do. So, whether coming
before the board or the council or the commissioners they use
the big fee club to determine what you apply for and I don't like
that, he stated, I think that's baloney. Their fee structure and
that system is precisely the reason, one of the reasons, why it
was a good idea for the county commissioners to bust up that
little see -a -fee deal because I was at the meeting where 3 city
managers set those fees and 3 city managers had no tie, no
affection, no feeling and no responsibility, those people can't
vote for those 3 city managers and that's exactly the symptom
that's not right. A $3,295.00 fee from an old farmer when a big
developer can get by for $1,200.00 is, to me, an obscenity that
is perpetrated by a system dominated by 3 city managers.
Stevens said the dilemma was not as bad as he thought it was,
he thought that with a SAG-10 they couldn't go to 10 without
clustering and giving up 50%. He thought in light of the fact,
on the end of Spring Creek and Three Mile he saw Northridge
coming in up to Four Mile and he knew that Waterford, the big
old folks home, would sit at the top of the hill. He didn't think
it was appropriate for that section of land to be in the West
Valley Overlay and he was going to recommend to the
� commissioners that if they move the boundary to the west and
`�,_� get that chunk out of there, he didn't think it was an
appropriate designation, the West Valley plan. The dilemma
the board was in, he said, was they could go ahead and
recommend the SAG-10 be approved without the addition of
the West Valley Zoning District but he was of the opinion they
would want to send -it to the county commissioners with the
consideration that they review it with the idea of sending it
back to us to examine it for a SAG-5 and doing it at their
request so one of the women did not have to write another
check.
Linne said he wanted to close out, everyone was tired, there
would be someone saying they needed to keep their open
space. Open space was great, but when they asked for it for
free, he didn't think it was right or fair. He said nobody wanted
to see the farms broken up, you look and see the golden fields
blowing in the wind, it's gorgeous, but who's going to pay the
price for it.
Karl Schuman, 2428 Mission Trail, financial representative for
the Lutheran Church and representing Helen Keading, said he
wanted to reiterate what Linne said and speak about the
intention of what the ladies were doing with the land and the
(r benefit to the community. The intention in Keadings case was
to give a gift to her church. In some charitable estate planning
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 22 of 28
they were able to take a vast sum of money that would have
gone to the federal government and convert that into a state
that would now transfer as income to Keading to help secure
-- her later years as well as when she passes. He was trying to do
the right thing. It would benefit Keading and the community
with a sizable portion of estate transferred locally, which
trickles down to affect over a thousand people. They were not
trying to create the high density proposals that were in fact
part of the overall plan out there. They were trying to keep
some of the open space, they are old farmlands, near and dear
to the heart. He said that keeping with a SAG-5 would keep
low density and open space and added that the positive domino
effect it would create would be the right thing.
Agnus Doris, said she did not live here, she was a taxpayer
whose roots go very deep out there because her grandfather
was one of the first settlers on Spring Creek. She said they still
own some land and she wanted to see the ladies develop
whatever they wanted to do, sell it, or whatever, and she was
there long before they came.
Frank Strickland, 272 Stillwater Road, said he was not
addressing how they solved the problem. He was a developer
and life goes on and the city grows and we all have to have
room for each other. He said a few things needed to be looked
at in the process of making a decision. Time was of the
essence to get something going on the properties and he
wanted to talk about the dollars involved. The $3,500 per acre
was for raw farmland, $7,000 to $10,000 an acre was for land
with improvements. He said Stillwater Road was a paved road.
He believed West Valley was formed because it was too close to
Kalispell to be involved in the AG-80. He thought it was close
enough in that something needed to be done with it. It was
growing in that direction and needed to be in smaller parcels.
The problem, he said, was the soil was soft and dusty. Four
Mile Drive goes through that section and in the summer a car,
going the speed limit of 35 miles per hour, created a dust
bellow that went 100 yards high and drifted across the valley.
Every time you split down to a 20, 10, down to a 2 1/2 it created
more traffic on the roads and the dust blew to the southeast
into town. From a dust standpoint he had problems. They
could end up with 10 acre parcels that look terrible. If they
were split there needed to be a way to get paved roads. Every
little finger that was made would need access to paved roads.
Maybe clustering was a better avenue but it was hard to do
unless someone would go in and develop it. The property to
the southeast corner was ideal for clustering, close to town and
it almost screened development. As you got further up the
valley there was no access to the 10 acre parcels until they got
onto Four Mile Drive. Imagine 100 or 200 car trips each day.
�) He didn't have an answer, they needed the ability to get that
into smaller parcels, but he believed they had a responsibility
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 23 of 28
to the people who live in that area to have paved roads so there
wasn't a tremendous amount of dust as a result of the
decisions that were made.
Stevens asked what Strickland thought of an R-1 out there and
he said it would be fine if it was a paved road.
Mayre Flowers, Citizens For A Better Flathead, said she was
speaking for herself, that she lives adjoining the West Valley
Zoning District and wanted to recommend they go with the
Staff recommendation. She said it offered the opportunity for
what's been expressed for the 10 acre option as well as options
that might address issues like the dust. She said dust was a
real problem with the roads in the West Valley area. She
thought clustering was an option that would be provided under
the recommendation before them and it provided viability.
Stevens said the difficulty they had was that it wouldn't help
the ladies to cluster the property. Everyone wanted to cluster
but nobody wanted to put the bucks in to do it. Like the story
of the little red hen.
OPPONENTS No one else wished to speak and the public hearing was closed.
MOTION Van Natta moved and Garberg seconded to adopt staff report
� FZC-00-09 as fmdings of fact and recommend to the Board of
County Commissioners the requested zone change from AG-80
and the West Valley Overlay to SAG-10 be denied and that the
property be designated as part of the West Valley 'Zoning
District.
BOARD DISCUSSION Linne stated that if they wanted paved roads they had to have
an R Zoning. Stevens said the difficulty may be that just
because they zone something R-1 it didn't mean they could
develop it in 1 acre parcels, the sanitation and subdivision act
would get in there and if the soil conditions were alright they
could zone it R-1 and still wind up with a 5 depending on what
the drainage was like. Stevens said they had a request for a
SAG-10 zone before them.
Stevens suggested Linne could withdraw his application for 30
days or the board could forward it to the County
Commissioners recommending approval of the SAG-10 as
requested, with an additional recommendation that they review
it with an eye in mind to send it back through for examination
as a SAG-5, in which case it would be a commissioner initiated
request and they would not have to pay for it. Even if we
tabled it, he said, it wouldn't change, we would have to take
action on a SAG-10. Wilson said that was the proposal before
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 24 of 28
them and tabling wouldn't be a viable option unless they had
some purpose in doing that. She said they could, based on
C� public hearing testimony and board consideration regarding
the property, make a recommendation for SAG-5. Stevens said
the difficulty that he saw with that was that a public
announcement was printed in the paper for a SAG-10, and he
wondered if they changed that was the public announcement
still valid. Wilson said absolutely, just because it was proposed
didn't mean it would be the recommendation of the committee,
the staff, or the board. She didn't think it invalidated the
notice requirements.
There was a brief discussion about the application process.
Linne asked if they had to give public notice to go to a SAG-5
and Wilson said there would have to be another public hearing
and it would go before the County Commissioners.
MOTION (AMENDED) Van Natta moved and Garberg seconded to use the findings
and testimony to make a recommendation to change from AG-
80 to SAG-10.
BOARD DISCUSSION Van Natta said the land was in the proximity of the City and
many years from now he would hate to see it if they went to
West Valley Zoning and clustered. They may have 15 acres
1 with 76% permanently dedicated to open space. It seemed it
l would make it impossible to have a residential zoning down the
road if and when services did arrive. For that reason, he said
he had a problem with the West Valley Zoning and preferred
SAG-10.
Stevens asked about those interested in a SAG-5 designation.
Rice asked, if they recommended SAG-10, what oversaw the
provision of that property in 10 acre pieces, or recommended
SAG-5. Wilson answered that if there was a family transfer,
zoning change or subdivision it would go before the board or
the County Commissioners, or both.
Heinecke asked and Wilson answered that 6 or more lots would
take it to County review. She said family transfers were an
option and it would be reviewed for compliance of zoning.
Rice asked what would happen if it at some point they wanted
to develop a 30 acre piece and it was SAG-5.
Wilson said it depended on the family transfer, they could do
one family transfer per child, per county, per lifetime.
Linne stated there were 142 acres in 1 tract and it had 4 family
�) transfers within that tract.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 25 of 28
Rice wondered what the difference between 5 and 10 meant in
the overall picture.
Wislon said they had to create parcels if they were going to
convey them. For a family it would be through family transfer
and for an individual it would be through subdivision.
Rice said that seemed to say that making it into 10 acre pieces
wasn't good planning, .there was no plan to it.
Stevens said it was a function of subdivision review and they
were not there to do that.
Rice said he was trying to see where it was going to go.
Linne said that if you make it SAG-5 they could make it 5 acres
along Stillwater road and later, if someone wanted to subdivide
they could pay to do that. He said the ladies could do what
they wanted with 5 acres or 10 acres they would have the
opportunity to sell along the road.
Rice agreed that by going to SAG-10 or SAG-5 would give them
the ability to sell some pieces.
Wilson said that could be done through family transfer but not
_ through subdividing.
Rice was worried that if it ended up with SAG-10 and City
sewer and water showed up it would be wasted.
Linne said a 5 acre piece could handle a septic tank.
Stevens said if they made it 10 that was not to say it wouldn't
be changed to 5. He said the power lines took up a large
chunk of open space and he .didn't think, dealing with people
who have respect with the property, that if they gave 10 they
could sell 10's.
Garberg said he thought that was what Rice was getting at.
Were they creating dust and traffic. He didn't know the
answer. He said he was seeing checker boards of 5 acre
parcels and he didn't want to be part of creating that. He
didn't have as much of a problem with 10 acre parcels.
MOTION (AMENDED) Mann moved and- Sipe seconded to amend the motion for a
SAG-10 designation to a SAG-5.
C� BOARD DISCUSSION Heinecke asked if they were getting to a shaky place and
Wilson said they could legally do this.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes -
Page 26 of 28
Stevens said that if it was shaky, when it got to the
Commissioner, they could ask the County Attorney. He said
01 they had the option to send it back to the planning board.
Garberg recommended approval and letting them discuss the
options.
Pierce asked if, along with the amendment, could they keep the
West Valley Zoning and Overlay. Wilson said it was part of the
neighborhood plan and area.
Mann said he thought a 5 acre designation gave the owner
more options. He thought 10 acres was a waste and they were
better off with smaller parcels.
Sipe agreed, saying it gave the developer a better opportunity to
buy 4 or 5 lots and create roads. ,
Rice disagreed with 5 or 10 and said 10 acre lots would create
critter problems and 5 acres would become a weed patch.
Heinecke asked about the limit of 20 acres and Wilson stated
the West Valley zoning designation dealt with density based on
soil types and that was what limited it to 20 acres.
Van Natta said he preferred the SAG-10 because that was
requested and he was more comfortable with that size. He said
it gave the owner a lot of options and it gave them the cluster.
Wilson said it took a minimum of 20 acres to cluster.
Garberg said he was more comfortable with SAG-10. He said
that with 5 acres people took care of 1 acre and the rest went
to seed.
ROLL CALL On a roll call vote the motion passed with 5 in favor and 3
opposed, Don Hines abstained.
OLD BUSINESS There was no old business presented.
NEW BUSINESS Stevens wanted the board to consider a short work session and
said he would contact everyone for an agreeable date.
Heinecke said he wouldn't be there for the 25th and added that
there were issues, like the connection from Grandview over to
West 3rd that got dropped and he wanted them talked about.
His opinion was that if they didn't get talked about they didn't
get done. He thought the road should be connected.
Stevens stated these were controversial issues and he wanted
them reflected clearly in the minutes. He said he didn't want
any adjustments by FRDO.
Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 27 of 28
ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned on a motion by Pierce and
seconded by Sipe at approximately 12:15 a.m. The next
regular meeting will be Tuesday, February 13, 2001 at 7:00
p.m.
Grefi S ens, Pre,5ident
Approved as mi /corrected: _,�Q/_L3'01
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Kalispell City -County Planning Board
January 9, 2001 Meeting Minutes
Page 28 of 28