The proposed amendment would create a new zoning district called "B-2HG General Business Highway Greenbelt", a district intended to provide for so called  "impact-mitigated sales and service functions to be applied along major highway corridors" according to the planning office staff report on this zone change. Click here to read the current staff report.

The term greenbelt is misleading as the setbacks for commercial uses along the highway corridors are minimal and should be increased to avoid a feel of highway strip commercial between Kalispell all the way to Whitefish as well as on other highway corridors in the valley.  In fact the new proposed zone allows for up to 50% of the green belt to be used for "landscaped"parking lots and setback are from the road edge not the highway right of way, further reducing the real size or benefit of the proposed greenbelt in this new zone.  The need for or requirement of frontage roads and location of these to reduce multiple entrances to highway corridors are not addressed. Nor is it clear if frontage roads could also be located in the greenbelt. 

Another particular concern to residential property owners is that the rear setback of this highway oriented commercial development under this new zone is only 10 feet!  For home owners who have invested in what they thought was a quiet rural area, now highway commercial development from automotive sales to offices to repair shops to hotels and motels to apartments can now be jammed in only 10 feet from your property line. (see staff report for a list of permitted businesses)

Another concern is that as buildings are set further back from the highway they can reach a height of 35ft with only a 10 foot set back from the adjoining property owner.  While the proposed graduated building height provision is helpful for protecting the view from the highway, it fails to address the home owners rights when a tall building can be inserted/jammed into adjoining residential neighborhoods.

The proposed new zone encourages strip highway commercial as opposed to limited small nodes of small commercial development as has been called for in Kalispell's zoning policies and as would be consistent with the City of Whitefish's policies, and the County Growth Policy. The greenbelt standard for the large Silver Brook subdivision north of Kalispell along Hwy 93 is in stark contrast to this new county zone. Approved by the City of Kalispell under its standards, it has a long stretch of highway frontage with no development and  the greenbelt is setback 120 feet from the highway right-of-way.  The greenbelt standard also required noise reducing berms and landscaping instead of a wall of strip commercial development as this new county zone would allow if approved.