Spring Creek Park project up for council vote

A large subdivision in North Kalispell will come before Kalispell City Council for a vote on Monday.

The proposal submitted to the city includes plans for 464 multi-family dwelling units, 65 detached single-family dwellings, and 113 townhome/rowhouse dwellings, along with two commercial lots, park area, and open space.

GKM Associates, LLC, has submitted an application for a zone change, a residential mixed-use planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat approval for a project known as Spring Creek Park. The 90.87-acre parcel is located to the east of West Springcreek Road between Two Mile Drive and Three Mile Drive.

Currently, 87 acres of the property are zoned R-3 (Residential) and 3.1 acres are zoned B-1 (Neighborhood Business) with a planned unit development overlay.

The proposed zone change would convert approximately 25.6 acres of the R-3 to RA-1 (Residential Apartment). It would also realign and expand the B-1 area to approximately 5.82 acres.

The existing planned unit development overlay would be replaced with a new planned unit development over the entire property.

The preliminary plat for the first phase would cover approximately 40.52 acres in the southeastern portion of the property and include the 65 single-family lots and 95 of the townhome/rowhouse lots, as well as 6.2 acres of open space and 1.52 acres of parkland.

The Kalispell Planning Board considered the request at a meeting on Feb. 8. Nine public comments were received at the public hearing, including one from the applicant. Public commenters mostly expressed concerns about the density, traffic and building heights. The applicant is asking for a height deviation from 35 to 40 feet so the townhomes could incorporate pitched roofs.

The planning board recommended the proposal to council with 44 listed conditions.

ANOTHER PROPOSAL before council Monday concerns Silverbrook Estates.

Silvermont Properties, LLLP, is requesting preliminary plat approval of a major subdivision in the Silverbrook Estates development. This portion of the project contains 10 residential and two commercial lots on 22.12 acres in the northeast portion of the development off U.S. Highway 93 between Silverbrook Drive and Church Drive.

This portion of the development was originally slated for the second of two main phases of construction on Silverbrook Estates.

“Over time, the specific layout of phase two has changed with the course of development…” states the meeting agenda. More than five property lines have changed in the development, resulting in the need for a new preliminary plat. The new proposed plat also includes roads and utilities which have already been built in conjunction with the multifamily development, according to the meeting agenda.

The preliminary plat request was discussed at the Feb. 8 planning board meeting, but no public comments were received. The planning board recommended the request to council with 27 listed conditions.

During Monday’s meeting, council will also hold a public hearing about updating its floodplain ordinance. The city’s floodplain policy was last updated in 2015.

A draft of the new ordinance includes clarifying language and updates based on changes to the city limits that have resulted from annexations that have taken place since the last update. The draft floodplain ordinance adds a new Flood Insurance Rate Map panel to the floodplain map for the city of Kalispell because of annexation to create the Meadow’s Edge subdivision off of Three Mile Drive.

The meeting starts at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, 201 First Avenue East. The full meeting agenda is available online at https://www.kalispell.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_03072022-778.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.