'Respite home' proposed near Kalispell hospital

Plans for a facility for families dealing with extended hospitalization of a child will be considering during a public hearing at the Kalispell Planning Board meeting April 9.

Terry and Lori Williamson propose to build a single-family house at 15 Glacier View Drive in the Grandview Heights subdivision, located in a residential zone near Kalispell Regional Medical Center.

Their intention is to offer a home-like atmosphere and a break from the medical environment.

As stated in the application: “This special home will be within walking distance of the hospital and will be a place of respite for parents and a place of uplifting fun and joy for their children. It will be a source of much-needed warmth from friends and community while they are battling with their child’s illness.”

It will not be for overnight use and will be open only by invitation between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. The conditional-use permit application states that guests will either be accompanied by the Williamsons or an authorized volunteer and will not be given access without a chaperone.

There will be no differentiation of the home from others in the neighborhood, with no signs and no expectations of excessive cars parked on the street. No impact on traffic flows is anticipated and the application says guests will be encouraged to walk from the hospital.

The design is two stories plus a basement. The main floor will have an open-floor concept with a kitchen, great room and half bath. The second floor will be a “serenity floor,” with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The basement is planned as a children’s play space.

The front yard will be partially concealed with a four-foot white picket fence and the backyard will be a private space with six-foot high cedar fences. The application describes plans for a yard that is “nicely landscaped” with perennials, annuals and shrubbery.

The Planning Board meets at 6 p.m. at Kalispell City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.