Planning board deadlocks on West Glacier guest cabin

The Flathead County Planning Board reached a stalemate last week over plans for a guest cabin off Belton Stage Road in West Glacier.

Mark Mento of Kalispell owns the property, which already has a home on its 3.24 acres.

Mento is asking the county for permission to build another home as a guest cabin on the property.

The cabin, as proposed, however, is a four-bedroom 1,472-square foot home with a garage. It didn’t meet the definition of a guest cabin in some members eyes.

There was also a debate on whether it could be constructed at all, under the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System.

The definition of a “guest cabin” is “a small detached dwelling unit that is rented for temporary occupancy much like a motel unit. Denotes a log cabin or rustic wood-type appearance that may include kitchen facilities and generally one or two bedrooms.”

When a parcel contains a single-family dwelling, adding a guest cabin in the Middle Canyon, requires a major land use permit, the staff report noted.

The Middle Canyon Land Use Advisory board, which reviewed the request, had previously voted against the request, 3-0.

The debate got a bit complicated though when Mento said he was already renting out the home that existed on the property as a vacation rental in the summertime. The second guest cabin would also be rented out.

Neighbors to Mento objected, noting the potential impacts to their property, as well as noise and other concerns. They also noted that a 4-bedroom home with a garage isn’t really in the spirit of the law as a”guest cabin.”

In addition, there was debate on whether Mento would need 4 acres to put two homes on the lot under the zoning regulations.

“To me, two dwellings on three acres is not going to present a significant impact,” said board member Greg Stevens.

But upon further review, the board deadlocked on whether the additional home should be allowed.

Stevens, Verdell Jackson and Buck Breckenridge voted for a positive recommendation, while chair Jeff Larsen, Sandra Nogal and Gary Votapka voted against it. Now it goes to county commissioners for a final determination.