Council veteran relies on experience, history

Duane Larson has been on the Kalispell City Council for 19 years.

When each election time rolls around, he wonders if he should run.

And each time there's a loose end - something to finish or begin - that convinces Larson to run again.

This year, those loose ends are Kalispell's hard-to-control growth and housing prices spiraling out of reach of many.

Kalispell has grown from roughly 14,000 people in 2000 to an estimated 20,000 today. The city is adding 300 to 400 new homes annually.

Geographically, Kalispell has two incorporated "islands" plus another semi-official future island of city land surrounded by rural Flathead County - awaiting to be eventually annexed into the town.

The city's budget is strained by having to add roads, police, firefighters, fire stations, parks, drainage, and water and sewer functions to handle several subdivisions seeking annexation mainly to get those services.

And most house prices are greater than what half of the Flathead's workers can afford to pay.

"I believe that the city has done a pretty good job on growth, but it could've done it better," Larson said.

Larson sees Kalispell's rapid population increase clogging the city's streets, citing that as a major concern.

He sees the U.S. 93 Bypass project as a way of getting truck traffic and vehicles with hazardous materials - such as oil - away from the downtown.

Larson supports building the southern half of the bypass first.

That is currently the council's position. But an advisory committee recently recommended doing preliminary work on the south portion while shifting some federal construction money to build a mini-bypass behind Mountain View Plaza to relieve congestion at the intersection of U.S. 93 and West Reserve Drive.

However, Larson is not sure whether building that connector road from Hutton Ranch Plaza to West Reserve Drive would provide much relief for the heavily used intersection.

And he worries about losing momentum on building the southern half of the bypass.

Larson said he believes the city has enough future homes on the drawing board to handle 12 years of population growth, especially on Kalispell's north side.

He said the city government now should concentrate on filling in the spaces between the islands and the main city.

However, Larson also contends that Kalispell does not exist in a vacuum and has to fill a role as Flathead County's hub.

He believes the city government should look at allowing more densely packed subdivisions as ways to combat sprawl and to keep housing prices down because less land would be used for each home.

Kalispell also needs to attract higher-paying jobs than it has in the past so more people can afford to buy homes here, he argued.

Larson said he thinks the city government should explore community land trusts as an affordable housing measure. In a community land trust, a nonprofit organization owns land while families buy the houses on it - factoring rising land costs out of the purchase price.

He also believes the council should study whether to waive impact fees - one-time charges on newly built or annexed homes to cover the costs of serving them - for homes that meet a city definition of "affordable."

"I have 41 years of experience and history with the city," Larson said, adding that he knows lots of Kalispell residents. "I know their needs and concerns. I've got a good feel for the constituencies."

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