Council likely to hear more about Rose Crossing

Two things germane to the future of Rose Crossing seem destined to happen during tonight’s meeting of the Kalispell City Council.

Council members are likely to take another step toward final approval of Spartan Holdings’ request to change a portion of the Eagle Valley Ranch development to mixed-use.

And the council is likely to hear again from Debbie Street, a resident of Rose Crossing.

She has expressed concerns about the impact to traffic on the rural road of ongoing residential and commercial development in the vicinity, including the Kalispell North Town Center and Eagle Valley Ranch.

Street and consultant Michael Fraser of Fraser Management and Consulting predict that traffic on Rose Crossing will increase exponentially in the years ahead, exacerbating a trend already underway for a road they say is woefully equipped to handle the increase.

Among other things, Street observes that Rose Crossing includes a curve so sharp that signs advise motorists to drop their speed to 10 mph. She describes the curve as a serious hazard whose threats to public safety should have been analyzed in a traffic study.

Fraser and Street have observed that traffic-impact studies completed by developers of the two projects in Kalispell have failed to include effects on traffic along the Flathead County portion of Rose Crossing. The road was extended west from Whitefish Stage to U.S. 93 to serve as a connector for the Kalispell North Town Center development.

Street and Fraser suggest that any council approval of Eagle Valley Ranch’s request for the go-ahead for a mixed-use development should include a condition for an expanded traffic-impact study that identifies both the problems related to and possible fixes for increased traffic on Rose Crossing in Flathead County.

Street, a real estate broker and developer, has emphasized that she is not opposed to Eagle Valley Ranch. She has said her primary concern is safety.

Spartan Holdings has proposed a development that would include 225 residential lots, 12 mixed-use office/residential lots and an apartment complex that would be situated along U.S. 93 north of the facilities for the Montana National Guard.

The council meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.

Reporter Duncan Adams may be reached at dadams@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4407.