Planning Board looks at Core Area zoning

Kalispell officials will continue to shape plans to redevelop the heart of the city at a Planning Board work session Tuesday night.

The board’s regular meeting was canceled due to no applications this month.

Instead, the board tonight will discuss updates to the Core Area Plan, such as potential north-south street connections and trial designs, before the plan is finalized later this fall.

The Core Area Plan was adopted in 2012 and set in motion steps to remove the railroad tracks from downtown, reconnect disjointed streets and build a pathway system linking pedestrians to shops and parks.

Tied to the plan, the board will discuss downtown development plans and changing the zoning on 12 lots within the Core Area from B-2 General Business to a B-3 Core Area Business zoning.

According to the city’s zone change request, rezoning the properties to B-3 better reflects the properties’ modern land uses.

Among other factors, the current zoning requires a 15-foot front-yard setback, which is contrary to the Core Area Plan.

The zoning change within the Core Area would accommodate a mix of residential and commercial uses, update existing regulations to encourage land uses set out in the plan, and require urban scale design standards along the street

Public comment will be welcome at the beginning of the meeting.

The meeting will be at the Kalispell City Council Chambers, 201 First Ave. E., at 6 p.m.

To view the agenda, go to www.kalispell.com/planning/Agenda.php.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.