Kalispell Planning Commission to consider new skybridge at Immanuel Living
3D concept image of proposed bridge crossing CLaremont. Courtesy of LPW Architecture.
Kalispell could be getting another skybridge.
The Kalispell Planning Commission is expected to hold a public hearing on a proposed skybridge at Immanuel Living’s campus in North Kalispell on Tuesday. The commission meets at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.
Though skybridges are currently banned in areas zoned for health care, the request by Immanuel Living spurred officials to consider a proposed amendment to do away with the restriction. The changes recommended by city planning staff would allow skybridges in areas zoned for business, health care and public uses.
City planners found that the amendment would create consistency throughout comparable zones, “which promotes compatible urban growth,” according to a staff report.
L’Heureux Page Werner Architecture, based in Great Falls, is heading the Immanuel Living skybridge project. The bridge would connect the existing senior living facility on the west side of Claremont Street to an incoming independent living facility, the Lofts at Buffalo Hill. The apartments, ranging from one bedroom to three bedroom, are expected to open in 2027.
A report by planning staff indicated that the street is busy with car and pedestrian traffic.
“The proposed pedestrian bridge is intended to provide residents with a safe and convenient means of accessing amenities located on either side of the street,” wrote Jason Cronk, president and CEO of Immanuel Living, in a letter to the city.
There are currently two skybridges in Kalispell. One connects the downtown Glacier Bank buildings on Second Street West. Another connects county office buildings across 11th Street West. Zoning did not apply to the latter project because it was exempted as a county agency.
Planning staff found that skybridges are effective in creating a safer transportation system by separating vehicular and pedestrian traffic, according to a city report on the Immanuel Living project.
THE COMMISSION also will hear a proposal from Texas-based developer Vista Ridge Cottages to build 96 residential units — 53 detached single-family units and 43 attached single-family units — on nearly 16 acres.
The property, located off Two-Mile Drive, must be annexed into the city. The developer is requesting zoning under residential apartment (RA-1) with a planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat approval.
The land surrounding the property is already zoned under high-density residential and urban residential, with Two Mile Vista Apartments across the street.
The commission is expected to hold a public hearing on the development proposal at its next meeting on Feb. 11.
The commission will hold its third meeting regarding Senate Bill 382, also known as the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May 2023, the bill requires Kalispell, along with nine other cities in the state, to adopt a new land use plan with the help of extensive public input.
Once a new plan is adopted, approvals for land use decisions, such as approving subdivisions, will be handled through the city’s Planning Department rather than through a public hearing process.
On Tuesday, board members will hear a summary of Kalispell Police and Fire department plans, which would be included in the new land use plan.
Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.