Storage facility set to open in July

According to the owner of a recently cleared parcel on U.S. Highway 93, just north of Deer Creek Road, the boat and RV storage units now planned for the site should be completed and ready to rent in July.

The owner, Charlie Koeller, said he realizes that the initial clearing of the 6.5-acre property came as a shock to area residents, but said construction of the storage facility should advance quickly, minimizing the visual impact during the busy summer months. As part-time residents who have owned a home in Lakeside for 10 years, Koeller said he and his wife Karen appreciate the beauty that the West Shore offers residents and tourists alike and that they want to retain that same charm.

The first phase of the project will consist of three structures, the tallest of which will measure 15' with 12' doors. These 12'x30' units will comprise about 60 percent of the 115 units planned for phase one. The other 40 percent will measure 10'x20'.

Responding to the outcry of many in the community who fear the worst, Koeller said he intends to utilize various low-profile features to make the facility appear more residential than commercial. The first of these features will be the use of siding designed to convey a residential feel. Acting on advice from a local designer and friend, Koeller said he chose hemlock green as the color of the siding and a slightly darker shade of green for the trim.

"As Lakeside residents, we are extremely sensitive to the appearance of the project from the highway and from the surrounding residential community," Koeller said. "The property will have a residential look with a green color scheme that will blend in nicely along the highway. We are committed to making it look very upscale and attractive, and still keeping with the residential character of the area."

Koeller said his original plan was to leave a few rows of the existing trees in place to minimize the visual impact to travelers on Highway 93. However his construction crew warned him of the danger posed by such trees when not in a large group, as they become vulnerable to toppling in strong winds.

"Once the project is complete, we intend to plant a new row of trees along the highway that will create a nice landscaping buffer between the property and the highway," he said.

The property will also feature motion activated, controlled lighting designed to contain light within the facility and prevent light pollution in accordance with "dark sky" initiatives as well as a keyed entry and security cameras.

"Our desire is to provide a secure facility where people feel their property is safe," Koeller said. "The project will have state of the art security, with cameras that will monitor and record all activity on-site."

In addition to concerns about the facility being out of character with the surrounding area or attracting criminal activity, many residents of Deer Creek and other neighborhoods nearby have expressed a belief that the location the Koellers have chosen could not be more inappropriate due to traffic or proximity to the lake and scenic corridor.

Koeller, on the other hand, says he believes the location to be ideal.

"The facility will be well located on Highway 93, on the West Shore, and will be easily accessible to residents in the Somers and Lakeside communities," Koeller said. "Additionally, the property is conveniently located near the Lakeside and Somers public boat launches. The reality is that storage units don't work out when they're off the highway and in a rural area where they area difficult to monitor and police. From a commercial standpoint, you want visibility and traffic flow."

Ken Lambeth of the Montana Department of Transportation's office in Kalispell said the access to the property was applied for by the former owner, Michael Murphy, and approved for a six-lot subdivision in 2005. Since the approach was built last summer, Koeller had only to apply for a change of use, which MDOT approved last month.

"According to the National Highway Administration, each lot generates an average of 10 trips per day, so six lots would be 60 trips per day," Lambeth said. "I'm going to guess that's quite a bit more on average than this storage use will generate. It's a good approach, and they built it plenty wide. We anticipate less trips per day with this than there would have been with the subdivision, so there's no need of a turn lane."

Koeller said he is open to meeting with area residents and neighbors in the Deer Creek community to discuss the project. Although he met with a few residents last week, another meeting will likely be arranged for when he returns to Lakeside in a couple of weeks.

"We want to hear from the neighbors and we're open to suggestions about how we can make this look better and be a better project," Koeller said. "We're all about making it nicer, because we love this area and we appreciate what this place has to offer.

"The property will be managed by my life-long friend, Rudy Heinle, who is the owner of the Spinnaker in Lakeside. Rudy is well respected in the community and will work with the local residents to address concerns and help them with all their storage needs."

Heinle will serve as a contact person while the project is being built and invited residents to contact him with their questions at 250-7212.