6395 Primrose Dr. – Variance Request

The Missoula County Board of Adjustment approved the Primrose variance at their April 19, 2023, hearing.

Background:

Missoula County Department of Planning, Development, and Sustainability (PDS) has received a variance request from Carl Saunders for the property legally described as the N2, NE4, S31, T14N, R20W, P.M.M. The 80-acre parcel is zoned “Primrose Heights Legacy Zoning District” (Area 3) and is currently occupied by the mobile home dwelling located east of Primrose Drive where the railroad bed crosses the road, addressed at 6395 Primrose Drive. Other uses of the property include agriculture, open lands and Rooster Ridge Pheasant Club. The applicant was granted a Land Use Permit in August 2021 to place a mobile home on this property outside of the “No Build Zone” required by the zoning of the property. Having placed the home within the southeast “No Build Zone,” the applicant is now requesting a variance to allow it to remain in its current location. Road construction was specifically identified as a permitted activity in the southeast “No Build Zone.”

The applicant states that the southeast “No Build Zone” was incorrectly proposed, and ultimately adopted in 1999, because it was not based on topographic information but rather was provided as a hand-drawn estimation of the sensitive areas needing the protection of a “No Build Zone.” According to the application, a recent topographic survey of the site reveals that the home does not appear to be located within any sensitive areas, such as floodplain, riparian, or steep slopes over 25%, as shown in the topographic depiction below.

All variance applications must go before the Missoula County Board of Adjustment for review. Should you wish to attend the public hearing concerning this request, the Board of Adjustment will conduct a hearing on Wednesday, April 19, 2023, at 6:00 PM.

To join the meeting remotely, use the Teams meeting link: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWE1Y2QzZmEtZWUyNC00NDI0LWEzYzktMWY0ODA2ODY3OWVh%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22e6701c3e-cb37-4fb7-bda5-db4c554953ca%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222e3b13d6-8670-423a-8d7e-db43cd9d0586%22%7d.
To join the meeting via a Teams call on your phone, call in to 406-272-4824, and use Conference ID 427 662 811#.

Please provide comment by April 14, 2023, on this Missoula County Voice webpage or send them to jdixon@missoulacounty.us.