Tronstad Road housing development up for discussion

The Kalispell Planning Board will consider a request for a new single-family development in North Kalispell at its meeting Tuesday evening.

Quail Meadows, LLC., is requesting a zoning map amendment and preliminary plat approval for a proposed project known as Quail Meadows Subdivision.

Located on vacant land at 155 Tronstad Road, Quail Meadows Subdivision would contain 39 single-family lots on approximately 10 acres.

The zoning map amendment request would change the zoning from R-2 (Residential) to R-3 (Residential). The zoning change would affect lot sizes and setbacks.

The current zoning has minimum lot sizes of 10,000 square feet and minimum lot width of 70 feet, with setbacks of 20 feet in the front, 10 feet on the side, 20 feet in the rear, and 20 on the side corner, as well as a maximum 35% lot coverage.

The proposed zoning has minimum lot sizes of 6,000 square feet and minimum lot width of 50 feet, with setbacks of 15 feet in the front, five feet on the side, 10 feet in the rear, and 15 on the side corner, as well as a maximum 45% lot coverage.

According to the meeting agenda, “the residential use both fits within the surrounding neighborhood and provides greatly needed area for additional housing.”

The increased density from the requested zoning of R-3 will also create impacts on the nearby transportation system for both motorized and non-motorized uses.

The developer submitted a traffic impact study prepared by Abelin Traffic Services dated January 2022. The study concludes that the project would not create any roadway capacity problems, but notes the intersection of Tronstad Road and U.S. Highway 93 will see a decrease in the level of service by full buildout of the project.

The study recognizes the intersection has been identified in the Kalispell Transportation Plan for eventual improvements, but recommends deferring the implementation of the modification until improvements are made to Reserve Drive.

However, the Kalispell Public Works Department has advised that the developer should mitigate the drop in level of service as required by city standards without waiting for future off-site roadway improvements. “The mitigation should be completed with this project,” states the staff report for the proposal.

There are 31 conditions included in the staff report, including frontage improvement to Tronstad Road with a pedestrian path.

Other impacts of the proposed subdivision include the effects on school populations. It’s anticipated the project would add approximately 20 students to School District 5 at full buildout.

All city services are available to the property, but they will require an extension of existing utilities to the site by the developer.

Additional site investigation is also necessary “due to the presence of silty sand and sandy silt throughout the site,” according to the staff report. The staff report goes on to explain silty sand has the potential to be collapsible, while sandy silt could be compressible.

Therefore, additional site investigation is recommended prior to foundation design and construction.

One of the 31 conditions requires a supplemental report be submitted for the Kalispell Building Department to review prior to the final plat in order to make sure the building sites could meet loading and other requirements detailed in the International Building Code.

The Kalispell Planning Board meeting and public hearing on the Quail Meadows Subdivision will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8 at City Council Chambers at 201 First Ave. E in Kalispell.

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