City’s growth requires a balanced approach

As someone who works with Flathead Land Trust to conserve our open spaces, I share Diane Etter’s frustration about Kalispell’s rapid growth (“Kalispell Growth,” Sept. 29). Many of us wish Kalispell wasn’t the fastest-growing micropolitan area in the country, or that managing this growth didn’t require such difficult choices. Approving development on currently undeveloped land — a stage all developed land once went through — is never easy.

The reality is that people aren’t moving here because of a new development approved by the city. They come for our natural beauty, outdoor recreation, job opportunities, family connections or simply to return home. If we fail to build the housing needed to accommodate this growth, we’ll see higher prices, a growing homeless population, and the resulting social and economic fallout that erodes our community’s character, something we’ve seen after the post-2020 growth surge.

The Spring Creek development Ms. Etter mentioned was unanimously approved by the Council in 2022, including by my mayoral opponent, Sid Daoud, who calls himself the most development-friendly council member. My other opponent is a builder currently building on undeveloped land. 

At the height of the housing shortage, I supported Spring Creek because, despite some traffic concerns, it offered a thoughtful mix of housing types to meet diverse needs. This compact design preserved more open space than a lower-density, single-family only approach would have. It also included a small commercial area to reduce traffic into the city center by allowing nearby residents to meet some daily needs in their neighborhood.

I truly sympathize with neighbors upset by development in fields near their homes. But the City Council must balance those concerns with the risks of letting housing demand far outstrip supply. We also have to guide growth to areas best equipped to support it and try to spread the impacts citywide when feasible, so no area of town bears the full burden. 

While I’ve supported most development proposals to meet our housing needs, I’ve also voted against more projects than any other current Council member when I believed the costs outweighed the benefits, such as my opposition to the Tronstad and South Meadows proposals.

I’ve also been one of the Council’s strongest advocates for infill development to reduce sprawl. I’ve supported redevelopment along the Parkline Trail, led zoning changes to allow backyard cottages and garage apartments in certain areas, and pushed for stricter limits on short-term rentals to keep new housing available for locals. As mayor, I’ll continue prioritizing infill while ensuring we meet our growing housing demand.

If you find someone you agree with 100% of the time, you’re probably looking in the mirror. While you may not agree with every vote I’ve cast over six years on the Council, I hope you’ll see that I’ve taken a thoughtful, balanced approach to complex and nuanced issues. I remain committed to listening, learning, and making the best decisions I can for our community.

Ryan Hunter is a Kalispell city councilor for Ward 3 and mayoral candidate.