Major commercial, residential project resurrected

The first phase of development for a 485-acre site once pegged for a large shopping mall and later as a mixed-use lifestyle community is headed to the Kalispell City Council for approval next month.

Roger and Jeff Claridge of Stillwater Corp., owners of the property once proposed for expansive commercial development by developers Chad and Bucky Wolford, are now asking for major subdivision approval for phase 1 of Kalispell North Town Center. The area formerly was known as Glacier Town Center.

The Kalispell Planning Board on Jan. 10 recommended approval of the first phase to create 12 lots — 11 commercial and one multifamily residential lot — on 81.4 acres. The initial development includes the extension of Rose Crossing from U.S. 93 North to Whitefish Stage Road, Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz said.

Phase 1 also includes a 100-foot-wide landscape buffer along U.S. 93 North and 2.1 acres of landscaping between the National Guard Armory and the northern edge of Kalispell North Town Center.

The property is bordered by the highway, Glacier Memorial Gardens and the Stillwater River on the west; Reserve Drive and Applied Materials along its southern boundary; Whitefish Stage Road to the east; and the Montana Department of Transportation maintenance yard, the Army Reserve Center and some privately owned land along the northern boundary.

“They (the Claridges) would like to have stuff rolling within a few months,” Jentz said. “They’ll be leading off with a couple of early projects.”

The property is largely farmland that has been eyed for development for 17 years.

Wolford Development began its embattled quest to develop the land in January 2000.

In 2004 neighbors of the proposed 750,000-square-foot shopping mall sued the county and Bucky Wolford, challenging the legality of a growth-policy amendment and a related zone change that would have paved the way for the mall. That court battle ended up with the Montana Supreme Court in 2006 delivering a mixed ruling that favored the county on most counts.

The property was annexed into the city of Kalispell in 2008, but by 2009 the project was put on hold amid the national recession that stymied the economy in the Flathead Valley as well. At that time Chad Wolford said Wolford Development had spent in excess of several million dollars on the various design revisions to the project.

The Wolfords aimed to transform the site from agricultural land into a mix of more than 600 new residential dwellings and about two-million square feet of new retail and commercial space.

Ownership of the property reverted back to Roger Claridge in 2012, who at that time told the city the land would continue to be farmed until the local economy rebounded and a plan could be formulated. Over the past couple of years retail development has been proceeding at a brisk pace in the north Kalispell area.

The overall development plan for Kalispell North Town Center divides the project into nine phases.

According to the planning staff report, the development will have two access roads off U.S. 93 — Rose Crossing and Lincoln Street, to be built south of Rose Crossing. Two internal streets, Cascade Loop and Flathead Boulevard, will be built to Kalispell street standards. The developers still need to obtain 40 feet of right-of-way from the northern portion of the property, the staff report noted.

A traffic impact study indicated the completion of Rose Crossing is not necessary for the initial development of phase 1 because the internal road system would provide adequate access.

The landscaped buffers would include bike paths for connectivity.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by e-mail at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.