Northwest Drywall relocation deal will allow city to proceed with redevelopment plan

by The Daily Inter Lake
| January 11, 2017 7:51 PM

Late Wednesday afternoon, a deal was announced that would result in Northwest Drywall leaving its current location on Eighth Avenue West North and relocating to the Glacier Rail Park as part of the city of Kalispell’s Core Area Revitalization program.

As outlined in a press release from the city, basic terms of the tentative agreement include:

• The city of Kalispell and Flathead County Economic Development agree to provide for a replacement facility at the Glacier Rail Park at an estimated cost of $1.6 million including land and improvements.

• Northwest Drywall will build a new facility at Glacier Rail Park and operate their rail-served business from this location, ceasing rail service at their current location on the west side of Kalispell.

• The current location of Northwest Drywall will remain under current/private ownership, with the appraised value of the currently used building ($750,000) applied toward the relocation cost as part their private contribution.

• The city of Kalispell will support the financing of the private contribution through a 3 percent loan for the $750,000.

In the statement, the parties agreed that the deal meets the interests of each party, and the community as a whole by:

• “Providing a fair relocation of an existing business that can maintain the foundation of its business model, including a carbon friendly operation.”

• “Maintaining the current level of rail business for BNSF and Mission Mountain Rail in Kalispell.”

• “Establishing a second tenant in the Glacier Rail Park.”

• “Facilitating the core-area redevelopment in the city of Kalispell, which includes the subsequent construction of a trail in the place of the old railroad tracks with redevelopment opportunities along the 1.5 mile stretch through the center of Kalispell.

The tentative agreement will be placed before the Kalispell City Council at the Tuesday, Jan. 17 meeting. The regular Monday meeting was moved due to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.