Kalispell City Council to review developer requests
Kalispell City Council is expected to vote Monday on requests put forward by several developers and appoint a new member to the municipal Architectural Review Committee.
Council will meet at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E., at 7 p.m. For more information on how to attend or participate, including remotely, visit: www.kalispell.com/agendacenter.
Dusty Acres LLC has requested the annexation of 52 acres of land with residential zoning. The property lies to the south of Hagerman Lane and adjacent to city limits on the south and west side.
Public comment at the Nov. 14 Kalispell Planning Board meeting included concerns about traffic, lighting, groundwater, a nearby farm and bike path safety. Erik Mulcahey, a spokesperson for the project, said plans for the area have not yet been drawn up and the issues raised by residents would be addressed when specific applications are submitted.
Council is also expected to vote on a request from Stillwater Development Partners LLC for the second phase of its Stillwater Bend project, including a planned unit development overlay and a major preliminary plat on 30.5 acres west of U.S. 93.
The proposed project would create 432 multi-family dwelling units, with structures set back 10 feet from the street instead of the standard 15 to meet what city senior planner PJ Sorenson called “the urban appearance desired by the applicant.”
A request by Owl Corporation for final plat approval for its West View Estates project’s sixth and seventh phases, which comprise 17 acres north of Taelor Road and bordering Stillwater Drive to the west, is also expected to receive a vote.
The sixth phase of the project calls for 19 single-family homes and a one-acre park.
Council likely will vote on a request by Immanuel Lutheran Communities for an expansion at its 185 Crestline Avenue campus. Known as the Lofts at Buffalo Hill, the project will provide 40 additional units of senior housing. Surface level parking is planned for beneath the residential units, meaning the complex will require an additional eight feet of height, necessitating a conditional use permit.
Public comments sent to the city Planning Board via email ahead of its Nov. 14 meeting opposed more development in the neighborhood and criticized the design as excessively tall. Several worried the developers were not accommodating enough parking for all the new tenants.
Lastly, Council will vote to appoint Nihcole Petersen of Elle Kole Interiors to the Architectural Review Board. In her application for the position, Petersen said that she has lived in Kalispell for several decades and can offer perspective on historical and current design trends in the city as it grows.
Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at cfoster@dailyinterlake.com.