It's time to settle 'doughnut' issue

Frustrated by political posturing, many business and property owners along U.S. Highway 93 South fear our county and city officials are lately more concerned about their careers and saving face than solving the growth issues that concerns us all.

My name is Bob Graham, I own Old Goats, Inc. located one mile south of Highway 40 on U.S. 93 South, across from Montana Coffee Traders. For the curious, our builder showroom displays decorative door and cabinet hardware, and we also manufacture custom screen doors, which we sell nationally through our Web site www.screendoors.com.

Many years ago, and before the recent growth, we acquired a conditional-use permit from the county to conduct our business along U.S. 93 south. In case you're not aware, all the property along U.S. 93 south of Highway 40 is currently zoned agricultural, including mine. We are not zoned commercial, yet we pay commercial property taxes.

And according to current laws, should any business along U.S. 93 shut its doors for more than six months, the property would permanently slip back to agricultural zoning. Thus, if we do not have a conditional-use permit, or let it expire, the current law would require that the property revert permanently back to agricultural.

Then, at the wishes of some, we would be expected to convert our businesses back into homes, raise our families and farm our one-acre plots of zucchini along this very noisy and busy highway — a bizarre proposition for some of us, yet the true objective of some rabid anti-growth activists.

In my opinion, political posturing and exaggerated ideas of one's own importance best describes the process by which the growth policy is formed from both sides of this issue. Is it too much to ask that we get the "doughnut" issue solved as soon as possible? Who among us, of those affected by this nonsense, can plan for the future until the issue is settled?

Frankly, I do not care who has "control" over doughnut so long as we get a long-awaited and intellectually sincere "commercial" designation for businesses along U.S. 93 South. Yes, the corridor issue is important to all of us, including our long-established businesses. Yes, we all want the entrance to our city to be architecturally attractive.

But nobody in their right mind wants to live in a single-family home or a one-acre zucchini farm along the central entry to our city. Yes, Mr. Politicians and city lawyers, I have read and would honor the city's very restrictive character-based zoning interests in the "doughnut" area for landscaping, outdoor signs, dark skies, outdoor lighting, big-box store regulations, and architectural review.

But I'm not up for more studies. Just give all of us a "limited" but reasonable commercial designation, city sewer and water, and the right for everybody affected a vote for or against your proposals within the U.S. 93 South corridor.

And please stop considering cutting special deals one parcel at a time. Planning board member Steve Qunell, you are right about Mr. Baur's proposal to annex his property at the corner of U.S. 93 and Highway 40. You said, to give special consideration to one property owner "might trigger the start of a corridor study long awaited by property owners south of the intersection." I do not know your party politics, but by your comment, you are against development and for zucchini farming at the gateway to our city.

Is this not the heart of the doughnut issue? City and county planners, we can't afford to debate, study, forestall or hide your intentions any longer. Let's move forward please. Drop the idiotic lawsuits and forget the "corridor studies" intended only to delay proper zoning requests.

Enacting reasonable zoning changes would mean existing business could make architectural improvements and investments that would elevate the visual and functional madness of conditional-use permits, as well as give our city the proper visual gateway it deserves. Maybe 15 years ago, it would have been OK to have chicken coops and zucchini farms lining the entrance to our city, but today I would prefer a well-planned effective partnership between the city, county, developers, utility providers, property owners and others involved in the development process.

Bob Graham lives in Whitefish.