A team of neighbors has submitted a lawsuit in Flathead County District Court around a getaway rental they declare is functioning illegally in their rural subdivision north of Whitefish.
The neighbors are challenging a choice by the Flathead County Board of Adjustment granting a conditional-use allow for a short-term rental in a residential home on Cantrell Court docket. In filing the lawsuit in opposition to the board and the house owners of the holiday rental home, Christa and William Beveridge, they are inquiring the courtroom to void the final decision approving the allow.
The neighbors — Sharon Morrison, Molly and William Hobgood, Dorothea LeDonne, Lorelle Kenneth Kitzmiller, Mike and Teri McDonald, Virginia and Roderick Farmer, and Kirsten and Reid Sabin — all have residence in the subdivision.
The board of adjustment in December 2021 accredited a permit for the family vacation rental to function below the administration of Vacasa house management immediately after the entrepreneurs acquired the property in June of that yr, in accordance to court docket paperwork.
Even so, the covenants for the subdivision prohibit professional utilizes of any kind, including mattress and breakfast, and consequently the neighbors say the board ought to not have authorised the allow.
The covenants for the subdivision, the neighbors assert in court paperwork, exhibit a “clear endeavor to shield from commercial operations, together with any type of lodging, in the distant neighborhood.”
The lawsuit goes on to declare that the county scheduling staff erred in acquiring that the county is not responsible for identifying compliance with subdivision covenants.
The setting up workers report states that the applicant is responsible for reviewing and adhering to covenants or any other property owner association documents. “Flathead County shall not be liable for the perseverance as to the compliance with these types of Covenants, Disorders and Limitations and shall have no duty to implement them,” the workers report states.
The neighbors also declare the owner’s software with the county was incomplete and contained erroneous details.
They say the software lists the property as remaining on a well when the assets takes advantage of a frequent water system, and that the jurisdictions of police and fireplace security are detailed but no mention is created of the distant spot of the assets, indicating that emergency responses would likely be delayed.
The software, court paperwork say, consists of an untrue statement that the getaway rental has three bedrooms though the Vacasa listing for the home describes it as owning 4 bedrooms. The listing also states that it is accessible for sleeping with three king-measurement beds, one particular double mattress and a few twin-size beds.
“This is critical misinformation considering the fact that the county septic report limitations the septic procedure at the construction to six individuals,” the neighbors say in paperwork. “If enough clients get there to fill the beds, the site visitors, septic and water use, and parking would require up to 2 times the authorized selection.”
THE NEIGHBORS also point out what they assert are untrue statements in the county setting up personnel report pertaining to the software for a permit, like that the acceptance of the visitors flow is tied to the occupancy restrict of six individuals, but that range of beds issues that.
In addition, the neighbors position to incidents when attendees of the vacation rental allegedly grew to become trapped on the highway accessing the home blocking ingress or egress.
Due to the fact the board of adjustment conclusion to grant the allow was based mostly on what the neighbors declare was erroneous details offered in the owner’s application, the board did not address community remark versus the application, which was largely towards granting the allow, the covenants for the assets prohibit industrial takes advantage of and the arranging workers report on the application allegedly included incorrect information and facts, the neighbors say the board’s selection ought to be dominated as unlawful.
Neither Flathead County nor the owners of the family vacation rental home had filed a reaction to the lawsuit as of Thursday.
Options editor Heidi Desch could be achieved at 758-4421 or [email protected].