Proposal to replace Columbia Falls ballpark with housing tabled

The youth baseball field on Railroad Street will stay a baseball field, at least until Columbia Falls City Council can find another place for the kids to play ball.

The city has received interest from Northwest Montana Community Land Trust, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, to turn the 1.3 acre lot into housing. The groups' current rough draft proposal features an eight-unit development with its own alleyway, so that garages and parking do not outlet to the street. 

Developers would be required to install sidewalks along Fourth Avenue East North and C Street. Sewer and water access are already available on-site. 

At the Feb. 7 Council meeting, City Manager Susan Nicosia said that in order for the plan to come to fruition, Council must first amend the city's Growth Policy, where the lot is designated as park land, and rezone the area from CB2 (commercial) to CR5 (multi-family residential). 

Both changes must be approved by the Planning Board and pass through the Council again, with the opportunity for public comment at each stop. 

Councilor John Piper initially made the motion to proceed with the changes, seconded by Paula Robinson, but Mayor Don Barnhart contested the proposal. 

“I could not support any of this unless I know specifically where those sports, folks, or kids that use that — granted, they only use it for two or three months — where they would have availability in the same type of field,” Barnhart said. 

Though the city owns 14 parks, only one is a ballpark. A half-acre of undeveloped street adjacent to the Railroad Street lot would be developed as a public park to align with the city’s goals to maintain green space. 

Barnhart asked that the motion be retracted and action tabled until an appropriate location could be found for youth baseball. Piper and Robinson agreed. 

“My only concern is that it takes so long for government to move,” Robinson

“The whole planning process takes so long, and I know that we have other opportunities out there to provide for these young people," Robinson added.

In other city news, it has been 10 years since the last government review. Council voted Monday to establish a three-member study commission, which will be voted on during the June primary election. At its Feb. 20 meeting, Council will decide on its resolution. 

It has also been a decade since utility and water billing was reviewed, and Nicosia suggested changes for landlord-tenant customers. 

“We have significantly more rental units than we did in 2014, 10 years ago, and it creates a lot of work,” Nicosia explained. 

“People aren’t staying for a year, they’re moving out. We had one rental unit where there were three accounts in one month," she said.

She suggested that utility accounts remain in the name of the property owner to save time and money spent on paperwork, deposits, multiple meter readings and duplicate billing and notices. The hearing will take place at next meeting, and letters will go out to landlords with known rentals regarding the potential change. 

Next meeting’s agenda will be available at www.cityofcolumbiafalls.org.