Kalispell, county begin joint planning for Two Rivers project

The Daily Inter Lake

The Kalispell and Flathead County exchanged something of a symbolic cooperative handshake Tuesday night when the two began joint planning for the Two Rivers project.

The Kalispell City Planning Board heard a presentation on Two Rivers and received an invitation to join the planning process from the county planning board president.

Flathead County Planning Board President Don Hines briefly reviewed Two Rivers for the Kalispell board. Hines' group will vote on it March 30.

Two Rivers is a planned 1,836-acre multi-use project north of Reserve Drive outside city limits. The Kalispell City Council on Monday night voted to take initial steps to begin a $1.84 million plan to extend sewer services to that area.

The city and county have agreed to work together on planning matters related to the Two Rivers project because it's an area where growth probably will lead to the city and county merging in the future.

"This is a project that deserves that kind of treatment," Kalispell Planning Board President George Taylor said.

Both boards said they hope the cooperative planning on this project will set a new precedent for dealings between the city and county.

Hines told the planning board he hoped to receive comments from the board before the county votes on the issue and that he expects the city and county will continue to work together on Two Rivers.

The city planning board did not discuss the project once Hines was done. The Kalispell board will meet in special session to discuss it further. A date for that meeting hasn't been set.

In other matters, the planning board recommended the Kalispell City Council:

. Approve a request for initial zoning designation of urban single family residential and a planned unit development for an 81-lot subdivision between Learn Lane and Valley View Drive. The applicant also is asking for preliminary plat approval of the project, called Lone Pine subdivision. The applicant plans to develop 25 single-family home lots and 56 townhouse lots on about 23 acres.

. Give an initial zoning designation of two-family residential for a property on the west side of Seventh Avenue West, north of Sunnyside Drive. The property owner plans to annex the property.

. Grant a request from Yarus Properties for a zoning ordinance amendment so the company can engage in heating, ventilation and air conditioning retail sales and services within a district zoned for community business.

. Approve a request for a conditional use permit that would allow the applicant to build 10 townhouse units, three single-family homes and a park on about 2.6 acres in the Blue Heron Estates subdivision located on the north side of Three Mile Drive and west of Stillwater Road.

. Granted a request for an initial zoning designation of urban single family residential on about 10 acres at the northwest corner of Three Mile Drive and Stillwater Road. The applicant plans to develop 36 single-family lots and to annex the subdivision. The developer also is applying for preliminary plat approval for the project, which will be called Cottonwood Park.

. Approved a request for a zone change from neighborhood buffer district to general business on about .91 acres on the east side of Meridian Road north of West Wyoming. The applicant is seeking the zone change to make the property more attractive for potential lease purposes.