Kalispell OKs 322-unit subdivision off Three Mile
A 112-acre parcel of undeveloped land in west Kalispell has been annexed into the city and zoned to allow for a large residential development.
The Kalispell City Council on Monday voted unanimously to bring the property northwest of the intersection of Three Mile Drive and Spring Creek Road into the city and approve preliminary plans for a 218-lot subdivision.
With a selection of multi-family housing, the development will bring a total of 322 new units to Kalispell.
The application from Meadow’s Edge LLC would also include 5.7 combined acres of neighborhood commercial development, parkland, other open space, city streets and stormwater space. There is a buffer zone established between the proposed development and wetlands to the north to attempt to minimize the impact on wildlife in the area.
Previously, the property was under county jurisdiction and zoned for agricultural use. In May, the Kalispell Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend approval of the project.
Contractors with WGM Group, which is assisting Meadow’s Edge, said the neighborhood will be affordable for a wide range of people.
One resident of a nearby neighborhood took issue with that plan, saying he did not like the impact of homes recently built in the area by Habitat for Humanity.
“The smaller homes do not attract the kind of people you want in neighborhoods,” said Bill Carlburg, who lives in the nearby Mountain Vista Estates subdivision. “It invites crime, and involves a lot of problems. This is not good for the area out there.”
“Who is going to benefit from this in the end? The developer is going to benefit,” Carlburg said.
His comments were met with scorn from City Council members.
“It’s always assumed affordable housing is ‘those people,’” said councilor Chad Graham.
Graham went on to say he didn’t believe that affordable housing attracted crime or other problems, despite Carlburg’s comments and others who have expressed similar sentiments about other subdivisions.
“It’s going to benefit the people that are going to buy homes there and live there,” said councilor Rod Kuntz. “Those are Kalispell residents. That’s who we’re charged with looking out for.”
Concerns had also been expressed about traffic impacts to the area, and the impact on city amenities like sewer services and nearby schools.
“The annexation is completely appropriate with our growth policy,” said councilor Phil Guiffrida.
The Planning Department report notes the area is in a state of rapid transition. It is surrounded on several sides by single-family homes on large plots and is near what will likely be more urban residential development in the near future.
The upcoming Westside Interceptor Sewer Project would service the development. The project would not overburden police or fire department services in the city, according to the staff report.
Montana state law also does not allow municipal bodies like the City Council to consider impacts to schools when making decisions on new developments. The developer will be required to perform traffic impact studies later in the planning process and pay for any modifications that will be required to maintain the current level of service.
Representatives of WGM group also spoke at the meeting, both to their thoughts on how the new development would fit in with the city’s growth policies and about the mix of different sizes of housing.
“There’s a lot of people in our community that are great people, but they are single mothers and newly wed couples,” said Jason McDonald, the project manager with WGM Group.
The Meadow’s Edge project is kitty-corner to a separate 90-acre subdivision that was also approved last month by City Council. That development is southeast of the intersection of Three Mile Drive and West Springcreek Road.
Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.