Kalispell City Council to discuss zoning amendments

The Kalispell City Council work session tonight, Monday, will examine zoning ordinance amendments brought by the city planning department.

After a March 8 Planning Board meeting, the board compiled a list of 15 amendments needed to update the city ordinance. The amendments include raising the height limitations on hospital, business, industrial and public zones, reducing required parking for multi-family housing and including doggie day-cares within the laws regarding kennels. Other amendments seek to clarify language in specific zoning codes, like language regarding casino development, while others expand on existing uses, like allowing microbrewery codes to include wineries, distilleries and tasting rooms.

In an effort to encourage development on properties that could be rezoned to the new B-3 Core Area designation, the planning board recommended trimming the amount of required parking by 50 percent. This would allow new business owners to move into the downtown area without being forced to demolish existing homes for parking lots required by the city code. In the “historic downtown” area, the planning board recommended no required parking.

The complete list of amendments is available at www.Kalispell.com. The work session begins tonight at 7 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.