Board backs final phase of subdivision

The final phase of northernmost Kalispell's Silverbrook Estates subdivision received a thumbs up Tuesday from the Kalispell Planning Board.

The board voted 5-2 Tuesday to recommend that the City Council approve the preliminary plat of Silverbrook's second phase to add 197 single-family homes, 90 townhouse lots, 13 commercial lots and one fire station lot on the final 167 acres of the 325-acre project.

Troy Mendius and Rick Hull dissented. Hull - who voted against the first phase in late 2006 - repeated his objections to building homes 2.2 miles north of West Reserve Drive where the bulk of Kalispell begins to taper off.

Silverbrook is southwest of the corner of U.S. 93 North and Church Drive.

That makes it the northern tip of a finger of Kalispell jutting north while wrapped about U.S. 93.

A handful of homes have been built in Silverbrook's first phase, which eventually is supposed to hold 249 houses on the site's southern half.

The development group behind Silverbrook - 93 & Church LCC - is headed by Howard Mann.

The second phase has a few minor changes from the overall site plan proposed in 2006.

The number of townhouse lots dropped from 120 to 90 because the economy handicaps the sale of high-end townhouses, said Wayne Freeman of CTA Architects Engineers, who represented Mann on Tuesday.

The number of commercial lots increased from 12 to 13. The 2006 limit remains of 120,000 total square feet of commercial buildings with the biggest structure no larger than 25,000 square feet.

The commercial area is in the site's northeast corner. The townhouses are to be just south of the commercial area.

The Planning Board's biggest change to second-phase plans was to require a street right-of-way set aside on the west side so a road could be built to connect with any development that might materialize to the west of Silverbrook.