Kalispell leaders focused on revitalization

With the U.S. 93 bypass complete and plans for the Glacier Rail Park underway, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce is now focusing on the Kalispell downtown and core area, and how to develop the 40 acres that will become available with the removal of the rail line.

In the monthly luncheon on Tuesday, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce noted that the end of the first quarter marks a time to focus on the growth of Kalispell as a regional trade center.

“We now have a bypass … How will that impact downtown Kalispell? What opportunities does that present?” Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson said.

Doug Russell, the Kalispell city manager, announced that the city of Kalispell and the Flathead County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA), who partnered together for the creation of the Glacier Rail Park, will be putting in a bid for the park in mid-April.

The park, which is part of the Glacier Core and Redevelopment plan, will open up more opportunity for development in the Kalispell downtown and core area, Russell said.

Tom Jentz, the Kalispell planning director, noted that during earlier plans to remove the railroad, the city lacked a viable option of where to relocate the trains, but through its partnership with FCEDA, the plans can now move forward.

The city hopes to have the tracks pulled out within the next two years, and completion of the trail to happen in the next two to three years, Jentz said. He added that he expects work will begin in July or August, sometime after June 30, which is the deadline to turn in the required environmental documents.

The removal of the tracks in the core and downtown area will open up 40 acres of land for development and redevelopment, Jentz said. This will open up a number of options to revitalize the core and downtown area.

Jentz noted that a few of the ideas being considered include turning the concrete bridge dividing Kalispell and Evergreen on U.S. 2 into a pedestrian bridge, and developing the area near the mall for the purpose of anything ranging from a shopping area and a parking structure to apartment buildings.

The core area redevelopment plan will also focus on “eliminating setbacks,” Jentz said.

The B3-Core Area zoning, which was approved last year, will eliminate the height restrictions, which previously designated that no structure could be above three stories. Businesses will also be able to develop to the end of property lines, and parking requirements will no longer be enforced.

Jentz said that in developing the downtown area, 90 percent of businesses asked by the city said they “want something done with our Main Street.”

The U.S. 93 couplet that goes around the courthouse at the south end of Main Street is still being debated, Jentz said.

“Is it Highway 93, or is it a Main Street?” Jentz said, “MDT will say it’s a highway.”

In a project that began more than two decades ago to have four-lane traffic from Somers to Whitefish on U.S. 93, the couplet is the final portion of the highway that is still two lanes.

“So what should our next major transportation project be?” Jentz asked.

According to Jentz, the city and the county have differing perspectives on what should be done about the couplet.

Jentz noted that a reconstruction of Willow Glen could possibly be an alternative option, which Jentz believes would keep traffic below its current rate for the next 20 years. Jentz said that Helena Flats Road and West Reserve are also being looked at as roads that are in need of major improvements.

If the traffic were to be diverted to other routes, Jentz says this may open up an opportunity to give Main Street a “different design and a different feel,” with the possibility of addressing the inability to turn left on Main Street during business hours by switching to a three-lane street with a turning lane, potentially set off by a landscaped median.

Jentz noted that while more businesses are moving into the downtown area, the desire to maintain the “character of a downtown” is still a priority.

Trek Stephens, owner of the Toggery on Main Street, said, “I’m a huge fan of Main Streets, when I travel, I visit Main Streets … downtowns have character, and investment in downtown is about that.”

Also moving downtown this year are WGM Group, Montana Coffee Traders, Big Sky Public Relations and Learned Reality.

Jentz noted that in addition to looking at revitalizing downtown, the board is also looking for a permanent location for the farmers market to return to downtown.

Reporter Alyssa Gray may be reached at 758-4433 or agray@dailyinterlake.com.