Use Variance to Expand Gravel Operation South of Lolo

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The Missoula County commissioners voted to approve this use variance request at a special public meeting on Aug. 6, 2024.

Missoula County has received a use variance request from Western Materials for property located west of Old Highway 93 South, just south of McClain Creek Road near Lolo. The variance request is to allow the existing 80-acre gravel operation on the east (shown outlined in green) to expand into the 70-acre area shown outlined in red and yellow. The expansion will nearly double the size of the operation.

All tracts are zoned Citizen Zoning District ZD#40, a residential zoning district the Missoula County Planning and Zoning Commission adopted in 1976. The existing gravel operation pre-dates this zoning and so is permitted to continue as a legal nonconforming use. However, since the zoning does not authorize resource extraction, the applicant must request, and be granted, a use variance to expand beyond the existing 80 acres. The application cover letter describes in depth why the applicant believes the western 70 acres qualifies for a use variance.

You can find the full application here.

The Planning and Zoning Commission opened this hearing at their public meeting on Feb. 22, continued it to April 4, continued it again to May 2, and again to 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 20. You can join the meeting in the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse annex, or online via Microsoft Teams. Find the agenda and link to join online. Please note that the agenda will be published on Friday, April 26.

The Missoula County commissioners voted to approve this use variance request at a special public meeting on Aug. 6, 2024.

Missoula County has received a use variance request from Western Materials for property located west of Old Highway 93 South, just south of McClain Creek Road near Lolo. The variance request is to allow the existing 80-acre gravel operation on the east (shown outlined in green) to expand into the 70-acre area shown outlined in red and yellow. The expansion will nearly double the size of the operation.

All tracts are zoned Citizen Zoning District ZD#40, a residential zoning district the Missoula County Planning and Zoning Commission adopted in 1976. The existing gravel operation pre-dates this zoning and so is permitted to continue as a legal nonconforming use. However, since the zoning does not authorize resource extraction, the applicant must request, and be granted, a use variance to expand beyond the existing 80 acres. The application cover letter describes in depth why the applicant believes the western 70 acres qualifies for a use variance.

You can find the full application here.

The Planning and Zoning Commission opened this hearing at their public meeting on Feb. 22, continued it to April 4, continued it again to May 2, and again to 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 20. You can join the meeting in the Sophie Moiese Room of the Missoula County Courthouse annex, or online via Microsoft Teams. Find the agenda and link to join online. Please note that the agenda will be published on Friday, April 26.

  • Petitions in Opposition

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    Below is clarification to help answer questions that could arise from two petitions since there is some overlap in signatures.

    Petition #1 (Received Nov. 28, 2023)

    1. This petition was signed by 78 residents opposed to the request
    2. These 78 signatures represent 37 households in Missoula County
    3. Three of the 37 households are not within Citizen Zoning District #40
    4. Seven of the 37 households are on the east side of Highway 93 South

    The gravel pit property is just above the cluster of blue outlined properties opposed to the variance, just west of the label "Old Highway 93 S.

    Petition #2 (Received Feb. 20, 2024)

    1. This petition was signed by 31 additional people opposed to the request
    2. These 31 new signatures represent 21 additional households
    3. Four of the 21 additional households are not within Missoula County (they are in Ravalli County)
    4. None of the new signatures are within Citizen Zoning District #40

    (Please note, we are unable to map the four Ravalli County households; the gravel pit is shown in the yellow shaded area.)

    Overall, this is a summary of the opposition presented in the petitions:

    • 109 people signed the petition(s)
    • The petition(s) represent 58 households, in total
    • The petition(s) represent 54 households, in Missoula County
    • The petition(s) represent 34 households, in Citizen Zoning District #40
    • The petition(s) represent 4 households in Ravalli County
Page last updated: 09 Aug 2024, 09:39 AM