Planning board OK's zone change for Weyerhaeuser, but snowmobile business sparks debate

The Columbia Falls City-County Zoning Board voted Tuesday to recommend that City Council approve a zone change to Weyerhauser land east of Cedar Palace.

The four-acre property at 525 12th Avenue West is currently zoned two-family residential, and Weyerhauser would like to see it changed to light industrial. City planner Eric Mulcahy reported that the triangular parcel fit all the criteria for a zoning change.

“It’s essentially an industrial neighborhood,” Mulcahy said.

Columbia Falls resident Rocky Ramey spoke in opposition of the zoning change.

“I have a little bit of a problem with Weyerhauser asking for a favor,” he asserted. “Let the city get something for once.”

Board chair Russ Vukonich inquired what types of industry would be allowed if the zoning change were approved. Mulcahy responded that examples could be car or boat sales, automobile repair, plant nurseries, building material sales, and the like.

Board member Anna Stene asked whether the property taxes would be affected. Mulcahy said the land in question might have higher property taxes.

Ramey was asked to clarify why he thought the zoning change would be a favor to Weyerhauser.

“As we all know, Plum Creek was an integral part of the community,” Ramey explained. “Weyerhauser’s been here a short time. We haven’t seen them reach out.”

Ramey claimed that for Weyerhauser, the zoning change was purely about money.

“My property values will go down,” he continued. “They will, you bet.”

Board member Mike Shepard suggested that the land could instead be turned into a dog park to meet consistent requests from local dog owners. Vukonich asked city manager Susan Nicosia whether the city had any interest in the land.

Nicosia noted that because the railroad tracks cut through the land, and it’s essential an industrial area on a truck route, the city isn’t interested.

“We can’t force a donation,” she said in response to Shepard’s dog park suggestion.

Vukonich and Stene noted that the zoning change would be in keeping with the city’s growth policy, and Stene reminded attendees that the decision would have nothing to do with Weyerhauser’s relationship with the community.

The board unanimously voted to approve the zone change request. The recommendation comes before City Council for a final decision on Monday.

After much deliberation and extensive public comment, the other zone change request that came before the board Tuesday evening was tabled until the September meeting.

Swan Mountain Outfitters intends to purchase a 0.42-acre piece of land at the corner of Railroad Street and Sixth Avenue East North from Lester Elletson, pending a zone change from residential to general business. Swan Mountain Outfitters owner Patrick Tabor would like to operate a snowmobile rental and reservation office on the land.

Mulcahy noted that the property is bounded by commercial, industrial, and residential land, and the applicant would be required to comply with landscaping and parking criteria.

Tabor gave a presentation about the application, noting that the snowmobile service would operate from December to April and the Railroad Street property would only be used to check in guests, not to store snowmobiles, trailers, or vehicles. Only light maintenance, such as refilling fluids, would be conducted on site – or more likely, at trailheads. Moving the winter office to Columbia Falls from Hungry Horse would save winter employees from a longer drive in the snow.

“Our vision is actually that we’d be creating jobs here in Columbia Falls,” Tabor said.

Board member Steve Hughes asked Tabor where the snowmobiles would be stored. Tabor noted that Swan Mountain Outfitters already has a storage property in Coram. A Columbia Falls office would be more convenient for guests staying at Xanterra’s Cedar Creek Lodge or in Whitefish.

Tabor said he plans to run an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 6 p.m. workday, which would reduce early-morning or nighttime traffic at the location. And snowmobiles wouldn’t be zipping around the property, so neighbors wouldn’t have to expect any amount of noise.

Board members were concerned about parking at the location. Tabor assured the board and audience that there would be a maximum of three trailers stopping by daily. Guest check-in would be brief and take place in morning and afternoon; neither trailers nor guests’ vehicles would be parked at the office for more than a few minutes.

Stene inquired whether operations would take place seven days a week.

“It’s like any form of tourism. If we’re running seven days a week, that’s a good year,” Tabor said.

The snowmobile rentals can accommodate a maximum of 20-50 guests every day, and expect them to carpool – the office would likely see about two or three groups in the morning and two or three in the afternoon, Tabor estimated.

Once the snowmobiling season is over, the property would be just like Glacier Park Inc.’s professional office on Railroad Street. Board members Steve Duffy asked whether any summer equipment would be stored on site. Tabor noted that eventually they hope to get a permit to do a few moped rentals out front, but that the mopeds are very quiet.

Public comment was lengthy.

Resident Dick Markham disagreed with aspects of Mulcahy’s report.

“It’s not a residential island surrounded by business,” he argued, expressing concern that once the zone change was allowed, any type of business would be allowed in.

Columbia Falls mayor Don Barnhart showed up in opposition of the zoning change as well. Like Markham, he anticipated that a zone change would open the floodgates to other businesses that could come in if Swan Mountain Outfitters left. He reminded the board that the Stop and Shop on Railroad Street was changed to residential, and currently GPI is the only commercial property in the area.

“Keep in mind that a growth policy is a guiding document. It’s not the law,” he said.

Barnhart also noted that school kids walk down the street to get to school. He recommended that the board consider whether zoning changes would disrupt the community.

“Businesses coming to Columbia Falls should come to Columbia Falls. But there’s a right place and a wrong place. I believe this is the wrong place,” he said.

The mayor said he would not be voting on the matter should it come to City Council.

Richard Turbiak, executive director of Citizens for a Better Flathead, spoke to oppose the zone change also. Turbiak read aloud a letter to the board that proposed that the applicant should withdraw his zone change application and submit a Planned Unit Development application instead. A PUD would allow board members to amend and regulate the applicant’s intended use of the property, requiring specific hours of operation and preventing on-site maintenance.

In response to multiple suggestions from the public that Swan Mountain Outfitters should rent space from GPI or the soon-to-be-vacant Whitefish Credit Union building, Tabor said he was a small business owner and had limitations.

“We like this area because it’s affordable and practical for small business,” he said. “Small businesses are the backbone of Montana. I’m sensitive to the fact that a zoning change is a zoning change but many places are out of our budget.”

Tabor said that he plans to build a one-story building with a log cabin facade, which will resemble a house with office space and a foyer.

“We’re going to have the same thing GPI has with a garage,” he said. “You’ll be really glad we’re here.”

Tabor said an aesthetically-pleasing office building would not reduce property values, as the public feared. The garage would store equipment and two or three backup snowmobiles.

Vukonich inquired whether the property could be fragmented into multiple commercial lots – the land is actually four lots.

Mulcahy said the lots are too small on their own to comply with commercial parking requirements. Vukonich then asked Nicosia whether the city enforces an ordinance on overflow parking.

Nicosia explained that Flathead roadways have public parking, but recent Columbia Falls changes might help manage overflow.

“Enhanced parking regulations will help city-wide,” she said.

Stene was more supportive of Tabor’s request than other board members, saying she knew his brand and liked his business.

“I would like to see businesses like yours down the street from GPI,” she remarked. “I’d rather have your traffic, because that traffic is coming, period. I think you would be a good neighbor.”

Duffy asked Elletson whether he’d had any residential interest in the land – there had been none. Duffy noted that the prevalent public opposition seemed to suggest that the “good for many didn’t outweigh the good for one.”

Duffy moved to deny the zoning change request. But the board had previously voted to approve Mulcahy’s report as findings of fact. Because Mulcahy’s findings have to support the board’s decision to deny, they voted to table the matter. The board will assess Mulcahy’s findings one by one and vote again at their next meeting Sept. 12. Once the planning board approves or denies the zoning change request, the matter will come before city council.