Opportunities to Speak Up & Help Shape How Kalispell, Whitefish, and the County Grows--5-1-2016


Changes to Kalispell's zoning code are up for a public hearing on Monday, May 2nd at the Kalispell City Hall at 7pm.
Click here for the agenda. Click here for memo on zone changes proposed. Click here for comments we sent for the work session.

One proposed change would open all Kalispell neighborhoods to short-term rentals (which are not currently permitted). We think the city council should table this proposed change and first host some town hall meetings to review with the public the pros and cons of short-term rentals.

As a recent story in the Denver Post Mountain Towns Learn to Love - and Regulate - Short-Term Rentals stated, "Longtime residential neighbors are seeing homes
turned into mini-hotels, with parking, noise and trash problems that follow a steady stream of visitors. And locals are finding themselves shut out of the long-term rental housing market as owners pursue more lucrative short-term tenants, said Melanie Rees, a resort community housing consultant who is piloting a study of the impacts of vacation rentals for the 25-community Colorado Association of Ski Towns.

Whitefish limits where short-term rentals are permitted. Kalispell's proposed regulations would not.  Many towns across the west (click here to learn more), however, are putting caps on the numbers of short-term rentals allowed to protect neighborhood character and to ensure an adequate stock of work-force and affordable housing.  Email: [email protected] , ask the council to table for now zoning for short-term rentals and to host some additional public information sessions on this topic before moving forward. 

   
 The newly formed neighborhood group, Water for Flathead's Future, who are concerned, as are we, about the recently proposed water bottling plant in Creston and "the impact of unprecedented industrial water bottling in our beloved Flathead County, Montana" will host a public meeting for those who share their concerns on  Tuesday May 10, from 6 - 8 PM at Sykes (basement) in downtown Kalispell. According to the meeting notice, "the purpose of this charter meeting is to bring you up to date on our efforts thus far, to share our initial plans and most important - to hear from you and seek your active involvement. Thus far, the work has fallen on just a few people but to succeed we will need many more people and more money."  For more information about Water for Flathead's Future, visit their web site at http://www.waterforflatheadsfuture.org/  
 
 
 
Glacier Climate Action has joined together with Glacier National Park, the City of Whitefish, Flathead Electric Coop and many individuals, businesses and organizations (that includes us!) to initiate the Glacier Gateway Climate Solutions Partnership.
The group is exploring ways that individuals and communities in the North Flathead Valley, from Whitefish to Glacier National Park, can adapt to new challenges while reducing emissions of carbon pollution that are heating the planet. Meetings are open to anyone who shares an interest in understanding local impacts related to climate change and working collaboratively on local solutions.

The Glacier Gateway Climate Solutions Partnership will meet on Tuesday, May 3, 7 p.m. at the Whitefish Library.
 It will be the first meeting of the new steering committee.  Members of the five working groups are encouraged to attend. This will be a good opportunity for the working groups to begin scheduling their own activities and discuss project priorities with each other and the steering committee. The meeting is open to the public.  Participation in any of the working groups remains open to anyone interested. Until the working groups select their own liaison, please contact Steve Thompson ([email protected]) to sign up for the working groups.   
Thanks for getting involved and helping to shape the future of this great place! And thanks for your support of our work.

Monday May 3rd is Give Local Flathead Day ---join in giving spirit and support our work to keep the Flathead a GREAT Place!
Upcoming CBF events - Please plan to attend!
All Day, May 20, The Business Hazardous Waste Collection Event at the Flathead County Landfill.  Pre-registration required, call 758-5910

Every third Saturday of the Month, Residential Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff at the Flathead County Landfill. Pre-registration required, call 758-5910

Friday, June 17th, 5:30pm to 8:00pm Mark your calendar for Citizens for a Better Flathead's Great Place Raffle Party and Dinner!