Kalispell City Council to consider ways to notify residents of future development

Kalispell City Council is expected to update the municipality’s public participation process for future development on Monday.  

The changes would clarify how residents can stay informed on development proposals after changes in state law scrapped public hearings on certain projects. Council meets at 7 p.m., June 1 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

Annexations and zoning map changes still wind through the standard public hearing process, but subdivisions, conditional use permits and variances are now all approved administratively. 

With public hearings a thing of the past, city staff — in conjunction with the Planning Board, city councilors and members of the public — proposed updates to the municipality’s public participation plan to keep residents in the loop. 

One update calls for the creation of an online portal for the public to access developers’ application materials and any determinations by staff. The website would include information on written public comment windows and how a given proposal can be appealed.  

Residents could also subscribe to email notifications to alert them when a public comment period opens and guide them to staff reports.  

Zoning and subdivision proposals will continue to be posted in a local newspaper, and letters will still be mailed to property owners within 150 feet of a development proposal.  

The changes come after Council in April adopted a new land use plan to comply with the Montana Land Use Planning Act, a 2023 state law designed to streamline housing construction.  

To comply with the law, the body shifted subdivision approvals to city staff, ending the Planning Commission and Council review process. Residents will still have a window to submit written comments and can appeal decisions made by planning staff, a process that begins with the city’s Development Services Department.  

COUNCIL WILL also consider hiring LHC Inc. for $350,000 to rip up and replace the taxiway at Kalispell City Airport.  

The city in September 2025 received a Montana Aeronautics Board grant for $556,395, administered through the state Department of Transportation. The money is meant for taxiway replacement.  

Ryan Caterino and Eric Woodruff are expected to be confirmed as members of the Kalispell Fire Department on Monday after completing their one-year probationary period.  

Council will also hear a presentation from Flathead County Behavioral Health Supervisor James Pyke about the Crisis Assistance Team.  

Law enforcement and emergency responders across Flathead Couty regularly call the team made up of behavioral health experts trained to counsel people in crisis, perform field mental health evaluations and advise officers on scene.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or junderhill@dailyinterlake.com. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.