Kalispell City Council to create Planning Commission

Kalispell City Council on Monday is expected to redesignate the city Planning Board as the Planning Commission, bringing the municipality in line with new development and land use laws passed by the state Legislature earlier this year. 

The impending creation of the Kalispell Planning Commission was preceded by the passage of Senate Bill 382, also known as the Land Use Planning Act. Signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May, the act is aimed at streamlining the planning process to spur housing development statewide. 

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: https://www.kalispell.com/agendacenter.

Membership between the Planning Board and forthcoming Planning Commission is anticipated to remain the same, according to city documents. As the commission will take up the duties of the city Board of Adjustments, Council is expected to dissolve the latter board. 

“Under [the Montana Land Use Planning Act], variances are reviewed and either approved or denied by staff,” wrote PJ Sorensen, senior city planner, in a memo to Council. “The decision on the variance, as well as other administrative decisions made under [the Montana Land Use Planning Act], can be appealed to the Planning Commission and then to City Council.”

The newly created commission will be charged with updating its bylaws, creating a land use plan and formulating a new public participation plan. 

COUNCIL IS also expected to approve the second reading of a planned unit development overlay for phase two of the Stillwater Bend project, located on roughly 30 acres at the western terminus of Rose Crossing and to the west of U.S. 93 North.

The second phase of the project is expected to see the construction of 432 multi-family dwelling units. Structures will be set back 10 feet from the street instead of the standard 15 to create a modern, urban appearance, according to documents filed at City Hall. 

As part of Council’s consent agenda, the assigning of R-4 residential zoning to the roughly 52 acres of land near U.S. 93 and south of Hagerman Lane recently annexed into the city at the request of Dusty Acres LLC will be given a second reading. 

Also up for Council’s consideration is Resolution 6176, which authorizes the issuance of bonds to finance the acquisition, construction and equipping of the Grandview Lift Station and Four Mile Drive Force Main Project located within Four Mile Drive and Grandview Drive.

The project will upsize the lift station to help with increased flow at different elevations and extend infrastructure to the west side interceptor to alleviate capacity issues. 

According to City Manager Doug Russell, the work has been approved in this year’s budget and the 2.5% interest on the bonds is “a really good rate of financing.”  

Reporter Carl Foster can be reached at cfoster@dailyinterlake.com.