Neighbors slam Willow Creek plan

Fourteen neighboring homeowners criticized a proposed 710-home subdivision along Foy's Lake Road that is seeking annexation into Kalispell with the zoning to fit its plans.

About 25 people Tuesday attended a Kalispell Planning Board public hearing on the Willow Creek subdivision.

Other than the developer's representatives, no one from the public testified in favor of the plan.

Because the public hearing ended at 12:20 a.m. Wednesday, the Planning Board delayed discussion of developer Wayne Turner's request until its May 8 meeting.

In October, the board looked at Turner's original proposal - 711 homes and 216 storage units - to develop 139 acres north of Foy's Lake Road, south of Ashley Creek and west of the proposed U.S. 93 bypass route. At that time, the board told Turner the proposal crammed too much into the site and suggested he return with a revised plan.

Turner did that.

His new proposal calls for 288 single-family houses - including 184 on lots of 4,000-6,000 square feet and 32 on lots of 6,000-8,000 square feet; 15 lots would be bigger than 12,000 square feet. It also calls for 82 townhouses and 24 multiple-family buildings that could hold as many as 340 condominiums.

"We still have practically the same unit count," said Planning Board member Bryan Schutt about the drop from 711 proposed homes to 710.

The site would have about 30 acres of parks and open spaces. No storage units are in the revised proposal. And a proposed arterial road would eventually cross Ashley Creek to connect Willow Creek with U.S. 2. or Appleway Drive

The state prefers a 200-foot-wide buffer zone between the homes and Ashley Creek, but can live with a 150-foot buffer if it is filled with vegetation. Turner proposes a 150-foot buffer with the vegetation, though the built-up area will slightly overlap the buffer in a few spots.

A 200-foot setback from Ashley Creek would eliminate 60 housing units from Willow Creek, said Sean Conrad, a Kalispell city planner.

Turner is seeking annexation into Kalispell with single-family-house zoning with modifications to allow a tighter density than allowed under an R-3 single-family-house zoning, plus the multiple-family buildings. An R-3 designation has a minimum lot size of 7,000 square feet, which Turner wants modified to allow the 184 lots in the 4,000- to 6,000-square-foot range.

Turner hired CTA Architects Engineers to plan the subdivision.

Willow Creek's homes would range from $180,000 to $400,000, which is higher than what area experts consider "affordable housing" for low-income people as well as a significant chunk of the middle class in Kalispell, said Wayne Freeman, CTA director of land planning.

Area housing experts have begun to consider $150,000 as the top limit for homes affordable to half of Kalispell households.

The 14 people speaking against Willow Creek were neighbors from the surrounding area.

"This plan does not conform to the neighborhood," said resident Marilyn Bain.

The neighbors' concerns were:

. Willow Creek's proposed homes would be too many crammed in 139 acres, which would be out of character with the more sparsely populated surrounding area.

. The subdivision's homeowners would overload traffic on Foy's Lake Road and Meridian Road, both heavily traveled two-lane roads that would form the main arterial into Willow Creek.

. Environmental questions exist because much of Willow Creek would be on the sites of two long-gone sawmills. A significant amount of wood and scrap metal have been buried in that area, neighbors said.

. The area's water table is near the surface, creating the potential for significant drainage problems during and after construction.

. The effects that the children of Willow Creek families would have on nearby Peterson Elementary School.

. Ownership of water rights in that area is fuzzy.

Freeman said studies and measures will be taken to deal with the shallow water table, drainage and water quality. Basements will not be built in Willow Creek. The water-rights fuzziness is being addressed, he said.

The traffic situation will be studied, and Turner will take care of existing traffic problems along Meridian and Foy's Lake roads, Freeman said.

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