Planning board set to vote on KM Ranch Road project revision

The Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday is set to make a recommendation on a rezone request that could open the gateway for developing a 155-acre tract of land on KM Ranch Road.

Montarise Developments, LLC is seeking to change the zoning from SAG-5 suburban agricultural to R-2.5 rural residential, reducing the minimum lot size from 5 acres to 2.5 acres.

The planning board held a public hearing on the request last month, but postponed a vote while citing a need to review comments. The board meets at 6 p.m. in the second floor conference room of the South Campus Building at 40 11th St. W. in Kalispell.

This is the second time Montarise has applied for a zone change for the property, which is on the north side of KM Ranch Road just north of the county landfill. The developer pulled a previous request to change the zoning to a minimum lot size of 1 acre after it drew a negative recommendation from the board.

While a zone change is the only request at this time, Montarise has outlined a plan that would call for developing the property in two phases with the potential of 103 housing units including 33 single-family homes. In addition, 32 multi-family “adult bungalow” units, 26 recreation rental cabin units and 12 hospice care dwelling units are proposed.

Both proposals have garnered strong opposition from neighbors, including concerns about increasing traffic, particularly at the already congested intersection of KM Ranch Road and U.S. 93, worries about impacts to water quality and changes to the character of the neighborhood.

THE BOARD will look at three other requests during the meeting.

Caitlin Spratling, is seeking a preliminary plat approval for River Meadows Subdivision, a proposal to create six residential lots on just over 40 acres with the average lot size of 6.67 acres. The property is located at 124 and 166 Glacier Flats Road, near Kalispell.

The property is not zoned and undeveloped. If developed, the lots would be served by individual septic systems and wells.

Freedom Group of Montana is seeking preliminary plat approval for the Freedom Group of Montana Subdivision, a proposal to create 12 residential lots on just over 15 acres. The property is located off Helena Flats Road, south of Reserve Drive, near Kalispell.

The property is undeveloped and is used for agricultural production. If developed, the lots would be served by individual septic systems and wells.

Public comment submitted to the planning office expressed concern that the proposed septic systems could have the potential for environmental damage if they fail in the future.

Finally, the board will look at a request from Brent Young and Garrett Yarde for a preliminary plat approval of Shadow Mountain Estates, a proposal to create 20 residential lots on 15.44 acres. The property is located at 403 Helena Flats Road, near Kalispell. The property is currently in agricultural production.

The average size of the lots within the subdivision would be 0.772 acres. The developer plans to provide 0.157 acres of open space with the rest of the requirement met through cash-in-lieu.

Features Editor Heidi Desch may be reached at 758-4421 or hdesch@dailyinterlake.com.