Meeting helps map Kalispell's way north

Open house planned Tuesday on growth policy

Sooner or later, Kalispell will grow farther north, probably in small steps.

What does that mean to rural landowners living a stone's throw from Kalispell? To landowners living a couple miles north of Kalispell?

Does Kalispell really have anything to say about rural lands immediately to the north? And does it have any clout to back up its wishes? People can find out Tuesday at a Kalispell Planning Board open house on the city's proposed policy on how it should grow north.

The gathering is from 6 to 9 p.m. at Kalispell City Hall.

Maps will be displayed and planning-board members and city officials will be there to informally discuss the growth policy and answer questions.

"It's an open house, so you can wander in at any time," said Tom Jentz, the city's planning director.

The proposed growth policy covers an area reaching north from West Reserve Drive to Church Drive and Birch Grove Road, and bound by U.S. 2 on the east and the Stillwater River on the west.

If the feedback from Tuesday's open house does not lead to significant changes, the planning board will hold a public hearing June 13. The proposed policy then will go to the Kalispell City Council, probably in July.

In broad terms, the proposed growth policy maps out what Kalispell's government would like to see in this area - if and when the city expands into it.

In most cases, Kalispell is expected to sporadically expand north in small segments - whenever the owner of a piece of land petitions the city to be annexed. It likely would take many years before city limits come close to Church Drive and Birch Grove Road.

Flathead County has declared in general terms what it would like to see in this area. Kalispell's proposed growth policy takes the county policy and adds some details on what the city would like. Kalispell's government hopes to work out a joint detailed vision for this area with the county.

So what does all of this mean to individual landowners and property developers? First of all, Kalispell has no real clout on how land is developed any significant distance away from the city limits, Jentz said.

But he noted that the city has something that many rural landowners and developers want - sewer services.

State government is strongly pushing new houses and businesses on rural lands to hook up to existing sewer lines if they are available. Any new, rural construction within 500 feet of a sewer line - such as Kalispell's or Evergreen's - is required by the state to hook up to the existing system or it cannot get state building permits to proceed.

The bottom line: Any new construction next to Kalispell city limits will be required to hook up to the city's sewers. So the city can withhold sewer services if a property owner defies Kalispell's wishes on how a piece of land should be set up.

Meanwhile, annexation brings other issues such as designating proper zoning. And state law requires that zoning designations on annexed lands follow some plan already in place.

Kalispell's proposed northward growth policy fills that legal requirement.

In broad strokes, the growth policy says:

. Very little industrial, commercial, dense-residential or office uses would be allowed north of Rose Crossing, which includes an imaginary east-west line extending from Rose Crossing to U.S. 93. The biggest exceptions are along the west side of U.S. 2 and a small portion between Whitefish Stage Road and U.S. 93.

. The majority of the land north of that line would be limited to residential use with no more than four homes per acre.

. Church Drive would have an overpass at U.S. 93 so the highway's north-south traffic won't have to slow down.

. Intersections would be kept as few as possible along U.S. 93 to keep traffic moving and limit the risk of collisions. The biggest exception would be if Rose Crossing is ever extended west to U.S. 93, creating an intersection that would need a traffic light.

. Major entryways to future subdivisions would not link directly with U.S. 93.

. Small neighborhood commercial zones would be designated around current and potential future intersections east of U.S. 93. Another might be designated where Church Drive and U.S. 93 intersect. These would hold gas stations, convenience stores and possibly grocery stores or bank branches.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com