Kalispell planning board looks at 400-unit apartment project

The Kalispell Planning Board discussed the proposed Timberwolf Ridge apartment complex Tuesday during a work session.

The development, proposed by James Barnett of Timberwolf Ridge LLC, would contain up to 400 multi-family dwelling units in six buildings. Constructed on six lots the project would include parking, recreational amenities including a clubhouse, and open space in the form of courtyards between the apartments. It is proposed to be constructed at 605 Stillwater Road at the intersection of Stillwater Road and Timberwolf Parkway.

Leading the discussion was Senior Planner PJ Sorensen, who talked the board through the submitted plans and renderings.

According to the architects, the buildings’ design and arrangements were inspired by local rivers and their surrounding landscapes, avoiding a cookie cutter plot with standard heights and linear layouts.

The developers are expected to request a height variance as part of their application for annexation, initial residential zoning, with a residential planned unit development overlay and a preliminary plat for the development’s approximate 20 acre area.

The area’s zoning allows for buildings up to 45 feet in height, according to Sorensen, but the proposed buildings will have certain portions that are expected to rise up to 60 feet above the ground.

According to Sorensen, the requests are for “architectural creativity” reasons, and to accommodate underground parking. The application includes 725 parking spaces, many of which are planned to be located in the buildings’ underground garages.

Planning Director Jarod Nygren said that the increased height would allow for increased green space in areas that would otherwise have to be dedicated to parking lots.

Board chair Chad Graham thanked the applicants for including their creative thought process as part of the submission, and said he thought it was a “great project.”

The project is expected to be constructed in two phases, with the first potentially starting this fall, and the second a couple of years later.

At work sessions, the board does not make recommendations or vote on the submitted material, but the proposal will come before them again as part of the approval process.

Also on the agenda was a zone change request from the developers of the Flathead Village Greens project, but the applicants requested a delay to the next meeting.

The next planning meeting is scheduled for Feb. 14, and will be held at Kalispell City Hall at 7 p.m.

Reporter Adrian Knowler can be reached at 758-4407 or aknowler@dailyinterlake.com