Trail crossing may go underneath road
After a four-year saga, the city of Kalispell has reached a compromise on the Willow Creek residential development.
The Planning Board last week gave a 6-0 recommendation for design changes on the 140-acre subdivision located in west Kalispell near the U.S. 93 Alternate Truck Route.
City Planning Director Tom Jentz said the developer, Trigon Inc., agreed to increase landscaping on the development’s southern edge, shorten several drainage ponds and reduce the number of lots along Foy’s Lake Road, which abuts the development to the south.
Jentz said owners Hubert and Wayne Turner agreed to move 1 million cubic yards of dirt, which effectively would drop the site’s highest elevation by 10 feet.
Another change is an at-grade trail crossing on the north side of the development with the trail going underneath a connector road.
The design would utilize a concrete box culvert that would cost between $10,000 and $15,000 plus labor, Jentz said. This compares to a $100,000 figure the developers said it would cost to build a bridge over the road, which was requested by the Rails to Trails group that voluntarily maintains the Great Northern Historical Trail.
The Willow Creek trail in question will link to the Great Northern Historical Trail, an old railroad bed which runs from Kalispell to Kila. Jentz explained that Flathead County owns the Great Northern Trail and county officials believe an at-grade trail is adequate.
Other issues were a circuitous road through the development and excavation work the developers have done that resulted in a 32-foot cut into the hillside.
The Planning Board decided that the circuitous route is good since those wanting speed can get on the U.S. 93 Alternate Truck Route close by, and there is nothing the city can do about the early excavation work. The 32-foot cut was not illegal, but the Turners were getting ahead of themselves, Jentz said.
The total number of homes in the development is slated to be 471, with most being single-family homes.
An earlier plan included townhomes and condominiums. The condos have been dropped, but some 75 townhomes remain. The townhomes are attached four-, six- and 12-plexes. Jentz said the Planning Board split 3-3 on whether to limit the number of attached houses to four in a row.
The revised plan with 65 conditions of approval including one for the at-grade trail crossing, will come before the Kalispell City Council on July 6, Jentz said.
When asked for a comment Tuesday, Hubert Turner said he would withhold any remarks until after the July 6 council meeting.
Willow Creek is located north of the Lone Pine State Park and east of the Stoneridge development, which is approximately 30 percent built out, Jentz said.