Boundary County Commissioners affirmed Wednesday evening what Owen Benjamin knew and what Nelson Mast seems to have bet on when he bought a small mom and pop cabinet business on Pot Hole Road in 2018 … Boundary County has no land use law.
Commissioners concluded public hearings on two appeals to uphold a decision by county planning and zoning to resolve a zoning complaint that Mast had expanded Panhandle Door Inc. in violation of a special use permit issued in 2005 that required a new permit to expand the use beyond the limits initially set.
In the case of Panhandle Door, the original permit issued to Joel Martin allowed the business to operate with up to 10 employees working one shift from a 40×130 square foot metal shop, using one truck and trailer to move his product.
Once he purchased the business, Mast expanded the shop from 5,200 to 22,0000 square feet, added a second shift atop the one permitted and increased the staff to 80, all without a new application, public notice or public hearing.
The new permit will establish new limits based on current expansion. But this time commissioners added a stern admonition … if any of the terms and conditions are violated this time …