Zoning boundaries chosen

By MIKE RICHESON

Bigfork Eagle

After holding public meetings in June and July, the North Lake Planning and Zoning Subcommittee has recommended the creation of a new zoning district that includes Woods Bay, Ferndale and Swan Sites.

Leslie Budewitz, the subcommittee chair, submitted the recommendation at Thursday's Bigfork Steering Committee. Lake County Commissioner Mike Hutchin, Lake County Planning Department Director Sue Shannon and Lake County Sheriff Lucky Larson were in attendance along with members of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

"I'm in support of the process to entertain a zoning district," Commissioner Hutchin said. "I'm willing to look at it, but I don't have a preconceived yes or no vote on the matter."

Hutchin pointed to budget difficulties and said Lake County struggles to provide staff to handle existing zoning districts. The state legislature allows a five percent budget increase for Montana counties each year, which has been a point of frustration for areas with rapid growth such as Lake and Flathead counties.

If the new North Lake district is created, it would likely include a planning committee that operates much like the Bigfork Land Use Advisory Committee and would advise the county about regulating and guiding future development.

The North Lake Planning and Zoning Subcommittee, a subcommittee of the Bigfork Steering Committee, has been meeting for nearly a year to determine if the new zoning district was something Lake County residents wanted and to determine where the boundaries should be.

At the Ferndale meeting in June, 48 people arrived to discuss the possible zoning district. Public comment was generally in favor of zoning to help preserve the environment, water quality, habitat, open space and access to public lands.

Many residents within the Eastshore Zoning District arrived for the meeting at Yellow Bay, and they made it clear that their zoning district already met the needs of their community. The suggestion that the Eastshore district join with the North Lake district garnered little support.

Woods Bay residents showed strong support for zoning. Primary concerns were growth and density and the location of commercial development. A straw vote was taken during the July meeting, with 24 voting for the new district and two voting no.

Swan Lake residents proved to be the most ambivalent toward the new district. Homeowners weren't convinced that the area needed more regulation since Lake County already has density zoning in place.

Members of the North Lake Planning and Zoning will begin planning the next steps to create the district in conjunction with Sue Shannon. The group still faces a lot of work such as drafting regulations, forming groups to identify existing property uses, determining future land use and possibly creating a neighborhood plan.

The subcommittee resumes regular meetings on the first and third Fridays of each month starting Sept. 7 at 9 a.m. at the Bigfork Chamber of Commerce.