Zoning: where to draw the lines?

By LAURA BEHENNA

Bigfork Eagle

After four community meetings on the topic of whether and where to establish a planning and zoning district in northern Lake County, a planning group from the Bigfork Steering Committee has said that it will probably recommend drawing the district boundaries fairly close to Bigfork.

The Lake County Planning Committee, a subcommittee of the Bigfork Steering Committee, met July 20 to discuss the results of the four public meetings the group held between June 27 and July 19 in Ferndale, Yellow Bay, Bigfork and Swan Lake.

Committee members noted that most who attended the public meetings at the Ferndale Community Center and Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork indicated strong interest in forming a planning and zoning district, while those who attended in Yellow Bay and Swan Lake did not want to participate in such a district. Most who attended the Yellow Bay meeting resided in the East Shore Planning District that formed in the late 1980s, and said they were satisfied with how their zoning plan is working. Swan Lake residents in general said they saw no need for stronger planning than Lake County already provides.

After hearing the comments of residents in the four neighborhoods where public meetings took place, planning committee members said public support appears to be strongest among people living in the Option 1 area. The committee will report to the Bigfork Steering Committee Aug. 16 and will recommend "Option 1" of three options for where to draw the southern boundary for a new planning district, committee chair Leslie Budewitz said.

In all three options, the county line between Flathead and Lake counties would form the northern boundary of the district. The Flathead Lake shore would serve as the western boundary. To the east, all developed roads east of Hwy. 83 would be included.

Three options for the southern boundary of the district have been considered. Option 1 would include the northern end of Lake County from Bigfork to just south of Woods Bay and east through Ferndale and the Swan Sites, about 30 square miles. The planning committee will recommend this option to the Bigfork Steering Committee.

Option 2 would have extended the boundary south to the Yellow Bay clubhouse and east to the mountains (150 square miles). Option 3 would have included the area south of Swan Lake as far as Fatty Creek Road (240 square miles), which would have included all of School District 38.

Everyone is welcome to attend regular meetings of the Lake County Planning Committee. The group will not meet in August and will resume meeting the first and third Friday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce building.

For more information, contact Leslie Budewitz at 837-6094 or e-mail leslie@drbeans.com.