Council revisits west-side parking district

The Kalispell City Council will take up the issue of parking around Flathead High School during a work session on Tuesday.

The meeting comes nearly two months after multiple residents took to the microphone with a range of concerns at a previous work session.  

After months of discussion at the Planning Board level, a draft proposal has been made. It would create a 25-block parking district near the school, with five blocks initially reserved for resident parking only.

On those blocks, the restriction would only apply to avenues and not streets. The proposed resident-only area is Third Avenue West from Fifth Street West to Ninth Street, and the first block of Fourth Avenue West just south of the high school.

As part of the proposed plan, residents would purchase permits to cover the cost of sign installation and enforcement and identify their vehicles.

According to city documents, the school has committed to building parking spaces to offset the displacement of student vehicles. Kalispell Public Schools has proposed adding 35 spaces to Elrod Elementary and 25 to Flathead High.

In April, the school announced a project to add 21 spaces at the high school at a cost of $270,000.

The concerns of westside residents are varied. Some have spoken out about the lack of access to their own homes, especially with the presence of winter snow drifts. Others have talked about dangerous and congested road conditions for a residential neighborhood.

Kalispell Planning and Building Director Tom Jentz said that there haven’t been many developments in the parking discussion since the first work session.

Jentz said the council could set a timeline to hammer out a final proposal.

“We’re going to be pushing for a process to reach a conclusion,” he said.

In the meantime, area residents might soon be breathing a bit more easily with the school’s summer break approaching.

The council will hold its work session on Tuesday due to Memorial Day. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.

Reporter Matt Hudson may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mhudson@dailyinterlake.com.