Summit Station Lodge looks to add rental cabins, requires zone change

The owner of the Summit Station Lodge near Marias Pass is seeking a zoning change that would allow him to build five rental cabins on one-acre lots on the property.

In order to do that, the owner and Flathead County Planning Staff have recommended a zoning change to the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory system by amending the text to the “Bear Creek Area” and adding a definition of the “Summit Area.”

The Bear Creek area under the regulations currently has a 20-acre minimum lot size. The lodge owner, Ted Chase, is asking the Summit area have no minimum lot size, “in order to have the potential to have very limited amount of new parcels,” according to the Flathead County planning staff reports.

The report notes that environmental constraints apparently stop the 32-acre parcel, which includes the Summit Station Lodge, from being subdivided further.

Chase hopes to expand the sewer system on the property to accommodate the new cabins, if the zone change is approved.

The staff report claims the development would not have an impact on views in the area, which overlooks Glacier National Park. The report also claims that because there’s a limited tourist season at the lodge, building the cabins would “preserve (Chase’s) property rights.”

The zone change, the staff report notes, is “consistent with the Canyon Plan.”

The Flathead County Planning Board will take up the request at its May 13 meeting at 6 p.m. The meeting is available via Web Ex.

To join the audio conference meeting:

 Call 1-650-479-3208

 Use the following Event Number: 287 260 017 #

People can also comment online at: planning.zoning@flathead.mt.gov