By HEIDI DESCH

Hungry Horse News

The Flathead County Planning Board voted to deny recommendation for the South Fork Addition to Hungry Horse Wednesday.

The vote was 8-1. Chairman Jeff Larsen was the sole vote in favor of the subdivision.

Hungry Horse Development Partners and Stephan Byrd submitted an application for the project to the county in August.

The project is set on about 90 acres of land near Canyon Elementary School, which the developers purchased from the Forest Service via online auction for $2.38 million.

It could potentially add about 900 housing units to the town. According to the 2000 census, the population of Hungry Horse was 934 residents.

The project calls for building 34 multi-family structures with 401 units in phase one. In phase two 215 units are planned in single and multi-family lots or structures. Planned for phase three is a total of 289 dwelling units.

County planning staff gave a negative endorsement of the project citing negative impacts on area schools and traffic as potential problems.

A standing room only crowd came to hear the developer's proposal Wednesday.

Residents spoke out against the plan, citing concerns over the impacts, including strain on emergency services, high density of the project and an already busy U.S. Highway 2 through Bad Rock Canyon.

The project will now go before the County Commissioners, likely in February.