Commissioners to take up Location Ventures subdivision
The 12 acre parcel already has a home and other structures on it. But the Wilkinson Trust, which owns the land to the north, said they would not sell to the Florida developer.
The Flathead County Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 31 on a zone change request on just over 12 acres of land along U.S. Highway 2 owned by Location Ventures.
The Florida-based company is asking for a zone change from SAG-10, which has a minimum lot size of 10 acres, to R-1, which has a minimum lot size of one acre. The land is about a half mile east of the Flathead River Bridge.
Location Ventures is a luxury homebuilder based out of Coral Gables, Florida.
The county planning board in July voted to send a negative recommendation for the zone change to commissioners.
Planning board members brought up several concerns as did the public.
The planning board received a host of comments against the zone change, but they rejected the notion it amounted to spot zoning.
Safety was a major concern, as the driveway to the property is steep and curved and it accesses Highway 2 near the busy intersection with Highway 206.
Planning board members also noted that surrounding lands are primarily zoned agricultural.
Neighbors said that a zone change to SAG-5 could be appropriate. That would allow for up to two homes on the parcel.
The parcel is surrounded by farmland and the Bad Rock Wildlife Management Area is just to the north. Location Ventures had eyed other parcels in the area, most notably the 112 acres to the west and another 22 acres further to the west.
The 22-acre parcel was proposed for a 180-unit subdivision which was rejected by the Columbia Falls city council earlier this year.
The 112-acre parcel, is part of the Wilkinson Ranch. That sale was squashed by the Wilkinson family.
Location Ventures former CEO Rishi Kapoor personally advocated for the 22 acre subdivision at hearings and public meetings, but according to stories in the Miami Herald, he is now under investigation by both the FBI and Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged payouts to city officials in exchange for permits for luxury developments in Miami.
Kapoor has since stepped down as CEO of the company, according to the Herald. He also faces lawsuits from creditors for allegedly not paying them back millions in debt.