Board to hear West Glacier rental cabin proposal

The Flathead County Planning Board will hear a request from Lindsey Bengtson, of West Glacier, for a major-use review at their May 14 meeting.

Bengtson is proposing to put five rental cabins on a 10-acre property on Old Highway 2 East about 1.5 miles south of West Glacier. The three 20-by-30-foot three-bedroom and two 20-by-18-foot two-bedroom units would be individually.

As proposed, the existing home at the site would be removed and the cabins would be serviced by the existing well and a new septic system.

The property lies within the Middle Canyon portion of the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System, but the local land-use advisory committee did not review Bengtson’s proposal because it couldn’t reach a quorum.

The Flathead County Planning Department raised a few concerns in their April 30 staff report. The proposed 5-by-6-foot sign would not comply with local zoning regulations, and the 5 gallon-per-minute well was considered inadequate.

County planners pointed out that Bengtson would need approval from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and the Flathead City-County Health Department for water, sewer and stormwater drainage, and from the Montana Department of Transportation for an approach permit.

County planners also noted that solid waste could not be dumped at the local greenbox site, and that Bengtson must license the rental units with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

Forest thinning and grading for the project was not expected to adversely affect natural resources, but a two-foot wide landscape buffer would be required to provide visual screening. The planning report included 13 conditions.

The lone comment received by the planning department indicated disappointment that the land-use advisory committee had not reviewed the proposal.

The planning board will hear Bengtson’s request on the second floor of the Earl Bennett Building in Kalispell starting at 6 p.m.