Public engagement kicking off as Kalispell works on new land use plan

Yahoo

13-03-2025

Mar. 13—Efforts to stoke public involvement as the city drafts a new land use plan are kicking off, according to Colorado-based planning firm Logan Simpson.
The firm, hired by the city in December, updated the Kalispell Planning Commision Tuesday on its effort to lead a public involvement campaign as city planners work on a new land use plan in accordance with Senate Bill 382.
Also known as the Montana Land Use Planning Act, the bill signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May 2023 requires Kalispell, among other larger cities in Montana, to rewrite its land use plan relying heavily on public input.
The act, meant to streamline construction, has earned criticism from city officials, including Mayor Mark Johnson, for limiting public input on site-specific developments in favor of emphasizing public involvement in drawing up a land use plan to guide the Planning Department's authorization of future projects.
But the provision of the act dialing back public input on specific projects was ruled unconstitutional by a district court judge in Bozeman earlier this month. That decision has left planning staff with unanswered questions on how site-specific projects will be approached after a new land use plan is adopted in May 2026.
Still, the city is moving full steam ahead with its public involvement campaign as the ruling won't affect the land use plan, Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen told the Inter Lake.
What remains in question is how the public involvement process should play out down the road.
"I don't think anybody really knows at this point what that looks like," Sorensen said.
Planning Commission President Chad Graham bashed the bill on Tuesday night, arguing that even with public involvement being frontloaded, people would still not appreciate seeing construction in their backyard without any public hearing prior.
"If I had my way, everything would be site-specific," Graham said on Tuesday night.
The city used a $30,000 grant to hire Logan Simpson. The money came from the Montana Department of Commerce Montana Community Reinvestment Plan Act Planning Grant.
Sorensen said that other cities received the same funding but used it for various planning purposes. He said the city felt it'd be effective to use it on a firm that could focus on keeping the public in the loop.
The city held drop-ins and an open house throughout the day on March 12 and will be holding more engagement events on Thursday, including an open house from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at 15 Depot Park.
There is also a questionnaire on the city's land use plan website where anyone can post what they think the three greatest challenges are in Kalispell and conversely what the city's best qualities are.
THE COMMISSION appeared in favor on Tuesday night of moving a high-density development proposal in north Kalispell to a public hearing next month.
Named the Reserve at Johnson Ranch, the development would see 186 single-family lots and two multi-family lots, one of which contains 237 units (the other is unspecified). The nearly 92 acres of land sits at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stillwater Road and Old Reserve Drive.
The plan calls for a 10-foot-wide pedestrian path through the subdivision and about 10.5 acres set aside for stormwater detention and open space/parkland. The subdivision would also include a commercial space for grocery stores, convenience stores and small shops.
Planning Commission members approved of the neighborhood's layout but asked for more clarity on what the commercial space will look like to ensure it fits a neighborhood feel.
"I would like to see a little more development of the facades, what kind of structure can we expect to see," said board member Doug Kauffman. The commercial space would be tucked right at the intersection, but the project blueprint does not detail what the building would look like.
Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said the store space was meant to blend into its surroundings.
"This is not supposed to be in your face. It's supposed to be integrated," Nygren said.
Landscape buffers are included in the project plans between the stores and streets.
The developers, Spartan Holdings LLC and Whispering Trails LLC, are requesting annexation, a growth policy amendment, initial zoning of residential apartment and neighborhood business with a planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat approval. The property is undeveloped.
The subdivision is expected to be built in multiple phases over the next 12 years, with construction intended to start in the fall of 2025, according to the developer's plans.
The commission also approved an extension to Renaissance Senior Care's assisted living facility to go before City Council.
The senior care facility that sits off Liberty Street needs a conditional use permit to expand from 13 to 15 beds.
Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [e-mail].