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County Commission Tables Racetrack Subdivision Decision

The commission voted to table a decision on the zone change

By Dillon Tabish

The Flathead County Commission tabled a requested zone change for proposed 40-acre subdivision near Raceway Park, with the commissioners waiting on more information about access before making a final decision.

During its Feb. 23 meeting, the commission voted to table a decision on the zone change, proposed by Thornton Motorsports LLC. The zone change would take the land from AG-40 – an agricultural designation – to SAG-1, a suburban residential designation, or one lot per acre.

The property already contains Raceway Park, located just off U.S. Highway 93 north of Kalispell. The developer has proposed a residential planned unit development (PUD) for the tract of land, with 56 lots for homes. The zone would have to change before the subdivision could be built.

When the Flathead County Planning Board considered the zone change in December, board members were unsure what affect it could have on motorized transportation systems, because the county’s Road and Bridge Department had indicated concern with the existing access for the area since the only road in and out of the property is McDermott Lane.

There would be about 600 more vehicle trips accessing Highway 93, according to the planning department. Commissioners Phil Mitchell and Gary Krueger said they were concerned about the density and character changes for the area.

Since a subdivision and a PUD would follow the zone change, the commission voted unanimously to table the zone-change request until more information on access is available through the subdivision and PUD reviews.