Kalispell council to vote next week on expanding accessory dwellings

After thoroughly examining a text amendment that would expand the use of accessory dwelling units throughout the city, the Kalispell City Council is poised to vote on the proposal Jan. 19.

The council met Monday for an online work session that capped months of discussion about accessory dwelling units, which generally include any secondary dwelling unit on a property.

They have been a topic of council discussion since September 2020, when council member Ryan Hunter suggested making them more available to provide extra affordable housing options in the city.

Most recently, the Kalispell Planning Board went over a proposed text amendment that would expand the zones where the dwelling units could be placed.

Accessory units currently are permitted in the B-1, B-2, B-3 and B-4 zones, and they are permitted with a conditional-use permit in the R-1, RA-1, RA-2 and H-1 zones.

The proposed text amendment would allow the units as a permitted use on a lot in the R-4 and R-5 zones, where duplexes are currently allowed, but separate structures are not.

On Dec. 15, 2020, the Planning Board voted 6-1 to forward a recommendation of approval to the council. Chad Graham cast the only dissenting vote, and he doubled down on his position at Monday’s work session.

“I worry about the creep behind it,” Graham explained Monday. “I worry about where it goes years from now…my biggest concern is I don’t want this going citywide to the other residential zones, because to me that is moving the goalposts when it comes to density.”

Senior Planner P.J. Sorensen said, however, “the proposal does not increase allowable density. Instead it allows a method to more efficiently utilize density that is already allowed.”

Most council members seemed supportive of the text amendment and largely unconcerned with the ways it could potentially evolve in the future.

The discussion Monday mainly focused on the specifics of the text amendment, such as the consequences for existing, nonconforming units and parking requirements.

The most divisive component of the text amendment appeared to be the suggestion that the accessory units follow an administrative conditional-use permit application process, instead of a standard conditional-use permit application process.

City staff explained the administrative permit process primarily differs from the traditional permit process by eliminating the need for administrative applications to go through a public hearing. Instead, administrative requests can simply be approved by staff.

There was considerable debate about barriers that each option might present for an applicant, and what kind of input neighbors of the applicants would have in each process.

Ultimately, these questions were left to be determined on Tuesday, Jan. 19, when the text amendment will go before the council for a formal vote.

There were no public comments during the work session Monday, but city staff reported there have been several public comments submitted throughout the months-long discussion from residents for and against ADUs.

To view a video recording of the work session, visit https://media.avcaptureall.com/session.html?sessionid=5107a846-0310-461c-babb-54d36ce2e497&prefilter=826,5879.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.