Developer seeks zone change
The Kalispell Planning Board on Tuesday night will consider a zoning change for 17.7 acres of undeveloped land at the northeast corner of West Reserve Drive and Stillwater Road.
Mark Owens, with Owl Corporation, is asking the city to change the land’s zoning from RA-1 residential apartment and R-3 residential to RA-2 residential apartment and office.
That would give Owens the option to develop professional offices along with multifamily housing in the area, according to a report prepared by the Kalispell Planning Department.
The property is north of the Glacier High School campus.
West of the site is undeveloped agricultural land outside city limits but within the city’s planning area. To the east is Stillwater Estates, a single-family neighborhood in unincorporated Flathead County. To the north is the West View Estates subdivision and to the south west is the Starling planned unit development, a 640-acre site Kalispell approved in 2007 to eventually have between 2,000 and 3,000 housing units.
In their review, Kalispell planning staffers found the requested zoning change fits with the city’s growth policy and recommend the change be approved.
One neighboring landowner has spoken against the project. She cited the impact to West Valley School District and its overcrowding issues, traffic concerns, and a concern that it could have a negative impact for surrounding property values, according to the city’s staff report.
The advisory Kalispell Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the zoning change request tonight and will forward its recommendation to the Kalispell City Council for final consideration.
IN OTHER BUSINESS on tonight’s agenda, the Kalispell Planning Board will have sessions on Flathead High School parking issues and an ongoing review of Kalispell’s growth policy update.
Tuesday's meeting starts at 7 p.m. in Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. It is open to the public.
Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.