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Evergreen Mobile-Home Park Project Scuttled

Board of Adjustment deadlocks in vote to approve permit needed to build subdivision

By Molly Priddy

A proposed 122-unit manufactured-home park in Evergreen has been sidelined, after the county’s Board of Adjustment deadlocked on whether to grant the developer a key permit needed for the project to move forward.

The May 1 hearing in front of the Board of Adjustment was a re-do meeting about granting a conditional-use permit for West Evergreen Estates, a subdivision that would add 122 rental spaces for mobile homes on 33 acres.

The project, brought forth by developers Michael V. Seaman and Garry Seaman, would have been located just west of Evergreen school property, off West Reserve Drive. A conditional-use permit would be necessary for a subdivision involving manufactured homes.

The Board of Adjustment held a meeting about the conditional-use permit in March, and the board voted unanimously to approve the permit, but the meeting’s audio didn’t properly record and the Flathead County Attorney’s Office recommended holding a re-do meeting.

That meeting was scheduled for May 1. On April 12, dozens of Evergreen residents spoke in front of the Flathead County Planning Board to oppose the project due to its potential to decrease surrounding property values and overwhelm the local infrastructure.

After several hours, the Planning Board voted 3-3 on whether to recommend the project’s approval to the Flathead County Commission, which would have had the ultimate decision on the project. Since the planning board tied, no recommendation was forwarded.

However, without the conditional-use permit, the project is essentially dead in the water. The Board of Adjustment voted 2-2 on the motion to approve the project, meaning it wasn’t technically denied, just not approved.

Still, since the Board of Adjustment didn’t give approval for the permit, the project does not move forward, according to the county planning department.

Board members Cal Dyck and Ole Netteberg voted to yes on approving the permit, and board members Gina Klempel and Roger Noble voted no; board member Mark Hash was absent.

According to the planning department, unless the developers submit a substantially different proposal, they cannot reapply for the same conditional-use permit for a year.