Three-story hotel proposed for Bigfork

A 64-room hotel is planned for a new subdivision on the north side of Bigfork.

Bigfork Hotel Group is seeking approval of a conditional use permit to build the hotel on about 2 acres in The Fort subdivision off Montana 83.

The Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee will review the application at its April 25 meeting. The advisory committee meets at 4 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church in Bigfork.

The property is located within the Bigfork Zoning District and is zoned B-3 Community Business.

The three-story hotel would be a Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham, with 14 guest rooms on the main level and 27 rooms each on the second and third levels. Plans show the main entrance on the north side of the building. The ground floor would include a front desk, lobby and breakfast area.

Parking is proposed on all sides of the building, with 86 total spaces. The lot would include a 24-foot drive aisle to accommodate two-way traffic.

According to the permit application, the site would be accessed by Cala Way. The hotel is anticipated to produce 531 vehicle trips a day at full capacity.

The developers said the subdivision would be served by the Bigfork Water and Sewer District.

However, Bigfork Water and Sewer District Manager Julie Spencer noted in her review of the project that the site has a 1-inch water line and 1.25-inch pressure sewer service. She said that may not be adequate for a 65-room hotel.

"The Montana Department of Environmental Quality now requires additional capacity to be authorized by an engineer with knowledge of the District's transmission, collection and treatment capacity," she wrote in an initial review.

The application drew no scrutiny from other county agencies.

Following the committee's recommendation, the proposal goes to the Flathead County Board of Adjustment.