Group looks at regs for employee housing

A committee of business leaders and residents in West Glacier will take another look at designing new regulations to allow for seasonal employee housing under the Canyon Land Use Regulatory system.

The process was actually started about a year ago, but faltered. Flathead County Planning Director Mark Mussman suggested that employee housing under a draft proposal could be done as a minor land use, with stringent performance standards, during a meeting last week with the public and members of the Middle Canyon Land Use Advisory Committee.

But after a discussion that lasted about an hour, the board moved to create a new committee that will look at the matter further. There didn’t appear to be much appetite from the crowd to simply have it a minor land use — because neighbors under minor land uses aren’t notified.

Mayre Flowers of Citizens for the Better Flathead also did an analysis of the first draft. In a report to the board, she found several deficiencies, including a provision that she claimed would exempt employee housing from subdivision review — a violation of state law.

So it’s back to the drawing board.

The new committee will include Pursuit representatives and other businessowners as well as residents. Longtime West Glacier resident Steve Frye will chair the committee.

The goal is to come up with recommendations for performance standards and other regulations for employee housing in the area by this fall. That document would then be vetted by the Middle Canyon Land Use Advisory Committee, the county planning board and then the county commissioners, before becoming codified in the CALURS regulations.

The need for seasonal employee housing in the West Glacier is acute. While this summer has been slow due to coronavirus concerns, in past summers, some employees have lived in tents and used portable toilets.

Many employees are from foreign countries under J-1 visas and demand for employees is high, as Glacier National Park visitation has surged to about 3 million people annually in the past few years.

There still are openings for people interested in being involved in the committee.

Folks should email Mussman directly at: mmussman@flathead.mt.gov for more information.