Proposed hotel receives height variance
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POLSON — At the March 4 meeting of the Polson Board of Adjustments, the trustees approved a variance for a proposed new hotel, the Red Lion Inn.
Show Me Polson LLC, represented by Jackola Engineering, asked for a 50-foot maximum building height rather than the 30 feet designated by Polson Development Code. The proposed three-story, 80-room hotel will be located in the Ridgewater subdivision, east of the Mission Valley Aquatic Center.
Toby McIntosh, civil engineer with Jackola Engineering, explained the hardship behind the variance request. The PDC is not current with hotel industry standards, he said. It’s not possible to build a three-story hotel with a 30-foot height limit, especially one with a sloped roof.
Joyce Weaver, Polson Planning Department head, said the planning department supported the variance.
Issues brought forward were concerns about access to the hotel, viewing the building from Flathead Lake, buffer zones, drive aisles, signage and aesthetics.
The motion to approve passed 6-1.
“I’m pretty excited about somebody bringing a new hotel to our area,” Board Member Pat DeVries said.
Chair Larry Ashcraft agreed, saying he thinks it’s a springboard for what is to come for Polson.
