Kalispell City Council to vote on business district
With the Kalispell Business Improvement District set to expire, the Kalispell City Council will vote tonight on whether to expand its boundaries.
The volunteer-led organization’s efforts include aiding beautification projects, hosting downtown events and expanding marketing. Those projects are funded through taxes on property owners in downtown Kalispell who fall within the district’s boundaries.
Those opposed said it is too great of an expense compared to the organization’s payoff.
To renew the district, the city needed signatures from 60 percent of property owners within the proposed area supporting the new boundaries. Nearly 63 percent, or 104 property owners, approved the new lines.
During a Jan. 18 public hearing, 16 people gave opinions on increasing the district’s reach — which, for those added into the boundary, means new taxes. Half of the participants spoke in favor of the proposal and the other half were property owners asking to be excluded for the boundaries.
How much each included property has to pay into the district is calculated based on square footage and taxable value of the property — so those payments vary from a few hundred to thousands of dollars, depending on each parcel.
If passed, the proposed district would exist for up to 10 years, according to the resolution.
THERE will be a public hearing over the Silverbrook Estates developer’s request to amend the development plan for the 325-acre subdivision north of Kalispell.
Silvermont Properties, which owns the subdivision, requested during a Jan. 9 work session that the development plan approved by the city be amended to allow taller building-height restrictions within the neighborhood. The request asked the city to change a condition in the development plan from setting the maximum gross square feet of the building to setting the maximum footprint, allowing two-story buildings within the same building footprint of 25,000 square feet.
The council supported the amendment during the work session, but decided it should go through a public hearing to give community members a chance to comment on the changes.
THE council will also vote on a request from Team Development, LLC to approve a preliminary plat of Southside Estates, a major subdivision of an 8.8 acre parcel into 29 lots.
The lots are divided into 16 single-family and 13 townhouse lots, for a total of 42 housing units. The property is located within a residential zoning district and is currently undeveloped grasslands.
THE COUNCIL will decide whether to approve the first phase of Kalispell North Town Center’s to creates a major subdivision of 81.4-acre into 12 lots, planned within the Glacier Town Center Planned Unit Development.
The lots will range from 1.3 acres to 13.9 in what’s currently undeveloped grasslands. The Glacier Town Center is 485.5 acres and includes four zoning designations.
TO standardize public records processing across the state, Montana Legislature made changes to the Montana Code Annotated establishing a fee schedule for public record requests. The changes took place after Kalispell set its original fee schedule in 2006, so the council members will vote whether to update the city’s policy to match the new standard.
If approved, the decision would charge 50 cents a page for paper copies of non-routine public records. It would also create guidelines for the city to follow if someone requests footage from a Kalispell Police Department in-car or body camera. According to the resolution, person can be charged $20 per recording.
The meeting will take place tonight at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers. For a full agenda, go to http://www.kalispell.com/mayor_and_city_council/agenda.php.
Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.