Kalispell zoning-law changes unveiled Thursday

The public can get a look at changes proposed to Kalispell’s zoning ordinance by attending a Nov. 19 open house.

City planners will be on hand from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday in City Council chambers at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. Anyone can drop by during the evening for an explanation of what the changes will mean to them.

Planning staffers will offer brief presentations, answer questions and take comments.

The staff has been working with the Kalispell City-County Planning Board since April to make improvements to the ordinance. If the process continues on schedule, the board will hold a public hearing on Jan. 12. More work sessions or hearings could be held, depending on the amount of public comment received.

After that the Planning Board will make a recommendation to the council, which has the final say.

The city planners pointed out that the process is not focused on a rewrite of the ordinance. Instead, they characterize it as fine-tuning to make the document easier to use and have it reflect the city as it looks today.

What they aimed to do includes:

n Eliminate ambiguities in the text.

n Improve readability and simplify language.

n Reduce the number of zones by grouping similar ones.

n Streamline property development standards such as setbacks and minimum lot sizes.

n Align intentions with allowed uses for each zone.

n Add a quick-reference guide to zones.

n Add a quick-reference summary of lot size and setbacks by zone.

n Update definitions.

n Include visuals and pictures to clarify points.

n Improve the connection between the zoning ordinance and growth policy.

n Cut the time needed for plan review in some conditional uses.

n Reduce the number of required parking spaces downtown.

n Modify existing standards as needed.

The current draft version of the ordinance is posted online at the city’s Web site.

Go to www.kalispell.com/planning and look under the heading, “Planning Board Projects.” New text is underlined, and text to be deleted is shown as strike-through.

It’s a work in progress, the planning department stressed.

Planners welcome comments and questions. Contact Planning Director Tom Jentz or planners PJ Sorensen and Sean Conrad at 758-7940 or planning@kalispell.com