Scaled-down housing plan goes to board

A revised proposal for Willow Creek, a 463-lot subdivision proposed on Foy’s Lake Road near the U.S. 93 bypass, is up for discussion at tonight’s Kalispell Planning Board meeting.

So is an annexation policy for Kalispell as board members tackle their third round of talks to come up with a comprehensive policy to send up for City Council approval.

At Willow Creek, developers Hubert and Wayne Turner are asking to revise the 140-acre preliminary plat and planned-unit development that won approval in December 2007.

At that time, its 531 lots were just three-quarters of the initial 711 lots they sought when starting the process in October 2006.

In January this year they revised that request to 455 lots. Tonight’s discussion will focus on 463 lots — 388 single-family residential lots, 11 townhouse lots and 64 row-house lots.

The Turners also are asking to make changes in several conditions, a request they called relaxations of the PUD in their January submittal.

Plans were to develop the subdivision in five phases between now and fall 2014.

With the U.S. 93 Alternate Route now being built, the Turners also are asking the city and Montana Department of Transportation to consider a revamped traffic impact study for Willow Creek.

The developers contend the traffic that will be siphoned away from Willow Creek onto the bypass warrants drastically reduced requirements for off-site street improvements.

When Willow Creek first was proposed it included a mix of multi-family and single-family housing. The current plan creates primarily a single-family residential subdivision.

It also removes the main north-south street through the subdivision and realigns two access roads onto Foy’s Lake Road.

Tonight’s meeting is for discussion only. No decision will be made on what recommendation to pass along to the City Council.

The annexation policy discussion took on new momentum in January when the City Council devoted a good portion of a work session to the issue, prompted by the proposed Trumbull Creek Crossing north of Evergreen that was up for annexation into Kalispell.

The council bounced it back to the Planning Board, asking for a city policy that lays out a philosophy on when and where to annex, both in the short term of five or 10 years and over the long haul of perhaps 30 or 40 years.

Planning Board members tackled the topic at a Feb. 23 work session, along with several potential map options on where to annex. That discussion continues tonight.

The work session starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall Council Chambers.