KALISPELL — The potential sale of Holland Lake Lodge has been a hot-button issue for three years in Western Montana after an initial expansion offer from POWDR listed plans to triple the existing footprint of the property.
That expansion plan has since been terminated, but the Flathead National Forest recently announced the acceptance of a special use authorization application for potential new buyers Eric Jacobsen and Thomas Knowles.
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Flathead National Forest Supervisor Anthony Botello said the application now allows the U.S. Forest Service to engage with the public on a 30-day comment period while also triggering environmental analysis.
“They are requesting a permit for the same size, scope, intensity, footprint as the existing operation, pretty much that’s existed since the 1920s, so no expansion, no increase to size or intensity, no new buildings,” said Botello.
If approved, Botello said the Special Use Permit would be issued for 20 years.
The new buyers would also be required to submit a Master Development Plan for the property.
“Once we get that Master Development Plan it will become a new project with a new public involvement process and a new decision, so in two to three or four years if they propose any expansion, we will go back out for a new decision and public involvement before that happens.”
Grace Soloti is the president of Stewards of the Swan Valley, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the beauty and history of the region.
She’s asking for transparency from the U.S. Forest Service and the potential new buyers as the process moves forward.
“We are all trying to be proactive and not just rushing this along and making sure we’re going to do it right because we got one shot to do it right,” said Soloti.
The Flathead National Forest will host a community meeting on April 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the Swan Valley Elementary School in Condon.
Botello said open communication with the public is key before they make any decision.
“We understand clearly that a big expansion is something that the public is concerned about, and we would be to,” said Botello.
