Board backs apartment proposal

The Kalispell Planning Board on Tuesday supported Cascade Professional Park’s bid for a conditional use permit on behalf of Chris Sund to build 12 residential apartment units along Financial Drive.

The board’s recommendation, subject to 11 conditions, moves on to the Kalispell City Council to approve the permit.

The multifamily development would have three four-plex buildings on two lots at 91 and 95 Financial Drive northwest of the former Gateway West Mall. Each unit would have a garage. The site also includes a playground.

The land is B-2 zoned (general business, mixed use). The conditional use permit allows for multifamily dwellings.

Planning Board discussion revolved around the location of the development among a mix of residential and commercial buildings. There are office buildings to the west and south and an apartment complex and single-family neighborhood to the north. 

A couple of Planning Board members emphasized the importance of adding view-obscuring hedges and discussed the possibility of low-profile fencing around the playground for safety reasons. 

Representatives from neighboring businesses said they were concerned about the impact the project would have on traffic along Financial Drive. A representative of Go Ventures said the area was envisioned as a business park and said potential business tenants might not want to drive through a residential area with pedestrians riding bicycles or walking.

City Planner P.J. Sorensen said the police, fire and public works departments had looked at development plans and decided the location would not pose a safety hazard.

The close proximity to commercial buildings raised concerns for board member Karlene Osorio-Khor.

“Sometimes a mix of things is a mess of things and when you look at this, to me, it feels more [like] a mess of things and unfortunately the zoning allows that,” Osorio-Khor said. “This just doesn’t look right.”

Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said he respected Osorio-Khor’s viewpoint but added that the city is moving in a direction where single-family homes, multifamily residences, commercial buildings and businesses are no longer isolated from each other.

The Planning Board also voted to recommend approval, subject to six conditions, of the preliminary plat of Stillwood Farms Subdivision at the request of Serengeti Properties.

The preliminary plat will create two parent lots intended to accommodate a two-unit townhouse for a total of four lots at 56 Vista Loop.

The subdivision site is bounded by Three Mile Drive, North Riding Road and Vista Loop. Discussion and public comment revolved around whether access to the units would involve North Riding Road and/or Vista Loop.  

Rather than hold the issue up for another month, board members decided that the fine points of road access should to be reviewed further by the Planning Department before the request goes to the City Council, according to Jentz.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.