Flathead County Approves West Glacier ‘Work Camp’ for Seasonal Staff
A travel and lodging company with business interests spread across West Glacier plans to build cabins and dormitories to house 137 workers during peak tourism season
By Tristan Scott
A hospitality company with business interests spanning Glacier National Park can forge ahead with plans to build a “work camp” in West Glacier after Flathead County officials approved the land-use request last month.
The proposal for a housing complex at 100 R.E.A. Road, near the boundary of Glacier National Park, first emerged in December when Pursuit Glacier Park Collection, formerly Glacier Park Inc., submitted plans to build cabins, dormitories and RV spaces on a 24-acre, company-owned parcel in West Glacier, near the location of the park’s busiest entrance. The work camp is designed to house employees during peak tourism season between May and October.
Describing the project as “a consolidation, not an expansion,” a Pursuit spokesperson said the work camp would centralize a seasonal workforce whose living accommodations are currently dispersed throughout gateway communities along U.S. Highway 2 from West Glacier to Columbia Falls.
Pursuit submitted its minor land use application, which does not require a public hearing, to the Flathead County Planning and Zoning office for review and received permit approval on Feb. 23.
Although Pursuit employs about 230 seasonal workers each summer in West Glacier, the minor land use permit authorizes only the first phase of the work camp’s development, which is designed to accommodate 137 workers. The project involves construction of 11 cabins, each containing two beds; three dormitory buildings providing a total of 96 beds; and 19 recreational vehicle RV spaces; and 137 off-street parking spaces.
The company anticipates a “future Phase 2 expansion,” according to an administrative review prepared by Flathead County Planning and Zoning Director Erik Mack; however, any additional employee housing or parking associated with a second phase of development will be subject to a separate application and review process. It will also be required to demonstrate compliance with the Canyon Area Land Use Regulatory System (CALURS), which is the specialized zoning framework assigned to West Glacier and the surrounding area.
The proposal drew significant pushback from neighbors, generating more than 100 comments as well as a petition opposing the project. A total of seven comments were submitted in support of the project.
Still, planning officials said the development conforms with all applicable regulations defined in the CALURS, which defines the property as “Middle Canyon.”
According to Mack, the majority of comments expressed concerns regarding the work camp’s impacts on community character, local history, and quality of life. Other commenters said the scale of the proposal should be reviewed as a major land use rather than a minor one due to its scale and potential impacts. But under CALURS, land uses are classified by category, not by size or number of occupants, and work camps are explicitly categorized as a minor land use in the Middle Canyon, Mack said.
“The Zoning Administrator does not have discretion to reclassify a use that is expressly listed as a Minor Land Use under the governing regulations,” Mack noted in his administrative review.
Supporters noted that the addition of between approximately 130 and 230 employees “would not materially increase the volume of tourists passing through the park on an annual basis,” according to Mack.
Supportive comments also identified potential community benefits such as increased housing opportunities (including affordable housing), improvements to sanitation and infrastructure, potential traffic improvements, mitigation of worker shortages, and more efficient use of available resources.
“The applicant has indicated that most employees will not have personal vehicles and will be transported to and from work via employer-operated shuttle service,” according to Mack’s review. “As a result, actual parking demand is expected to be less than the maximum capacity provided.”
The piecemeal style of Pursuit’s housing arrangement has been a perennial challenge for seasonal workers, many of whom are international employees who live and work in the region during the summer months on a J-1 Visa Summer Work Travel Program, according to the spokesperson, who added that about 75% of Pursuit’s seasonal employees do not drive.
The housing complex would use existing water and septic systems and would feature a gravel parking area, while the existing point of access would be modified into a 22-foot gravel roadway, with looping roads to provide fire access.
Pursuit must obtain approval from the Flathead City-County Health Department and the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for potable water, wastewater disposal, stormwater drainage, and solid waste management. The site will be served by a multi-user well and multi-user wastewater treatment system, with individual hookups provided.
The permit lays out 16 conditions with which the housing complex must comply, including that all outdoor lighting be dark-sky friendly, shielded and directed downward; that quiet hours are enforced between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., consistent with the neighboring West Glacier RV Park, also owned by Pursuit; and that all food be stored within hard-sided vehicles, cabins, dormitories, or bear-resistant containers to prevent wildlife attraction. A shared bear-resistant container will be provided on-site for resident use.