Highway 82 zone change to commission

Bigfork Eagle

The Flathead County Planning Board voted 8-1 to recommend a zone change for a pair of parcels on Highway 82 last Wednesday, but the recommendation they made was slightly different than what the landowners asked for.

Mirroring a recommendation made by the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee last month, the planning board gave the thumbs up for Mike Touris and Chuck Sneed to change from suburban agricultural-5 to light industrial highway.

Sneed and Touris are seeking a change to a light industrial zone.

The "highway" zone is more restrictive than light industrial and would prevent the properties from being able to achieve higher densities allowed by the latter designation. Light industrial highway also has more stringent setback requirements, though existing structures on both properties would be grandfathered in for whatever setback requirements they did not meet.

Though the board supported the light industrial-highway zone, one member, Mike Mower, was outspoken about his disapproval with the application in general — one that was submitted about a year ago and denied.

"This is not a win-win situation," he said, referring to comments made by other members of the planning board about the compromise with light industrial highway zoning. "It's a win-lose. The only person who wins is Mr. Touris.

"There's not a single material change (in the application)," Mower said. "There's a reason it was denied."

After the 2008 denial, Touris and Sneed filed a lawsuit against the county, portions of which are still pending.

A date has not been set for the county commissioners to consider the application.