County begins zoning process for doughnut

Flathead County commissioners on Monday

officially voted to begin the interim zoning process for property

in the two-mile area surrounding Whitefish.

The unanimous vote followed their

discussion a week ago about the county reacquiring jurisdiction of

zoning in the so-called “doughnut” area.

Commissioners are responding to a Nov.

8 vote by Whitefish voters that repealed a 2010 interlocal

agreement between the city and the county that gave the city

oversight of zoning and planning in that two-mile area.

Commissioner Jim Dupont reiterated that

the county intends to take over zoning issues in the doughnut.

“We’re very clear about that,” Dupont

said. “The city needs to know that.”

Whitefish Mayor-elect John Muhlfeld

said he and council members Chris Hyatt and Bill Kahle plan to meet

Wednesday with Dupont to discuss the doughnut issues.

“The majority of the council hopes this

can be resolved outside a courtroom,” Muhlfeld said. “We want to

resolve it in a way that is mutually beneficial to everyone.”

The first step in implementing the

zoning process is to create an interim zoning map, Flathead County

Planning Director BJ Grieve said. He told commissioners that map

should be completed this week.

Grieve said County Planner Allison

Mouch has “been hard at work preparing” the map.

“I believe we have the best planner in

the state for this project,” Grieve said of Mouch.

His staff continues to work on

procedural details associated with the county assuming jurisdiction

of zoning in the doughnut, Grieve said.

Last week, Grieve told commissioners it

would take about five weeks to establish an interim zoning plan for

the doughnut. That plan will have a maximum two-year life. The idea

behind interim zone rules is to spend time working on a permanent

zoning plan, Grieve said. That’s the approach commissioners are

taking.

Property in the doughnut will be

assigned a county zone classification as close as possible to the

current city classification, Grieve said.

Once commissioners set a date for the

changes to become effective, doughnut residents would go to the

county instead of the city for permits or other zoning and planning

issues.