Produce stand zoning draws huge protest

Columbia Falls City-County Planning Board members were surprised at their May 14 meeting by the overwhelming opposition to a request by Ernie Gravelin to allow seasonal produce stands to operate in residential zoning areas as a conditional use.

Karl Sorenson, who lives near Gravelin’s home and owns several nearby rental properties, collected more than 30 letters of opposition from his neighbors.

Sorenson said many of them misunderstood what Gravelin had proposed, believing it was going to be a bait and tackle business until they read about the proposal in the Hungry Horse News. Some neighbors said Gravelin never talked to them about his idea, Sorenson said.

City planning consultant Eric Mulcahy said a retail business selling bait and tackle would not be allowed in residential zoned areas. Gravelin told the board that once he learned that, he changed his plan to produce, a seasonal business.

Mulcahy noted that he and city manager Susan Nicosia spent a lot of time on Gravelin’s proposal and thought that other locations around the city would work better for a produce stand.

Several board members suggested Gravelin consider selling produce at the weekly farmers market or at one of the vacant commercial buildings along Nucleus Avenue.

“It was a good idea but a bad location,” board member Mike Shepard said. “There’s already too much traffic in front of Gateway Elementary School.”

The vote was unanimous to deny the request. Board members Courtney Nolan, Steve Hughes and Jason Bryan were absent. The request will go before the Columbia Falls City Council on June 2.

“You have your work cut out for you,” board chairman Russ Vukonich told Gravelin.

“Yep,” Gravelin replied.

In other planning board news:

• The board spent little time discussing a conditional-use request by Stacy Upton of Northwest Commercial Investments LLC for a canine rehabilitation business at the Old City Hall building on Nucleus Avenue.

The building is owned by Upton and her husband, who uses four of the building’s units for his outdoor apparel embroidering business. Another unit is a hair salon.

Upton said she will see one or two dogs at a time, no dogs would be boarded overnight, and waste would be cleaned up if dogs use a small open space at the south end of the parking lot.

Mulcahy said he thought the business was a good fit for Nucleus Avenue, and several board members said they’d likely have clients for Upton’s new business.

• Planning board member Steve Duffy proposed that board meetings begin with the Pledge Of Allegiance. The matter was taken up as new business at the end of the meeting.

Board member Lee Schlesinger said the idea was appropriate but noted that other boards he has served on didn’t want to add anything to what was already a busy agenda.

Duffy noted that he had signed an allegiance to uphold the U.S. and Montana constitutions when he joined the planning board, as did all members.

Board member Sue Haverfield said she was surprised they weren’t already reciting the pledge before each meeting.

Schlesinger asked that a decision be set aside until absent members could weigh in on the matter.

• The plat for the former Lookout Estates subdivision, on a bluff west of the former Midway Drive-in Theater, will come to the planning board for review on Tuesday, June 10, with new owners as the Timber Ridge development.

This proposal drew a lot of public comment the last time it was proposed, before the recession dampened the housing market. City staff and the planning board expect to see a large crowd at their next meeting.