New rail park is the real deal

Economic development isn’t always an easy thing to measure.

It’s human nature to want immediate gratification for our economic development efforts. We want projects with tangible results. We want success stories.

The reality is that often times the tools and resources put in place in the name of economic development take awhile to generate any measurable results. But those pieces of the puzzle are crucial in generating long-term growth.

A big piece of the development picture for Kalispell was put in place last week when the Flathead County Economic Development Authority sealed the deal on 40 acres of land on the city’s edge to develop a rail-served industrial park. All of the parties involved in making this happen should be commended for their foresight and commitment to Kalispell’s future. Authority Executive Director Kellie Danielson nailed it when she called the land acquisition a major milestone.

Even in a high-tech world, industrial parks with rail access are still valuable assets for communities. There will always be businesses that need to ship products in and out of the area.

This particular industrial park, located at the former McElroy & Wilkin gravel pit off Whitefish Stage Road, will be marketed mainly to manufacturing, wholesale trade and agricultural businesses that need access to rail service. The goal is to develop the site within the next two years.

The project opens the door for further development of Kalispell’s core, too. If economic development leaders can find the right mix of incentives and funding to relocate the remaining two businesses that use the rail access within Kalispell, it would open up a new world of possibilities for more retail and residential development, along with more bike and walking paths within the city’s core.

While the goal is to relocate those two businesses to the rail park, Kalispell Community Development Manager Katharine Thompson acknowledged that if that doesn’t happen, “that’s OK, too.” She and other economic development leaders know the importance of having this new site as an option to attract new businesses.

It’s all about the big picture, after all, and with the addition of 40 acres with rail access, the picture for Kalispell just got a lot brighter.