Latest news with #KatieZolnikov
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell planners warn of impending parking crunch
May 15—Kalispell officials are warning that on-street parking is in jeopardy thanks to a bill awaiting the governor's signature that limits off-street parking requirements on new construction. The piece of legislation, House Bill 492, came up during the Kalispell Planning Commission's Tuesday meeting as members mulled over the preliminary draft land use plan required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The act, which was signed into law in 2023, requires 10 Montana cities — including Kalispell — to draft a new land use plan that emphasizes boosting housing supply. The city is required to adopt at least five of 14 potential zoning ordinances meant to stoke development, like reducing setback areas and lot size, or allowing apartments on single-family lots. Residents can peruse and vote on each regulation on the dedicated city webpage ( But an ordinance outlined in the act that limits parking regulations may become law regardless. House Bill 492, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, was introduced in February and would limit city parking requirements to one space per dwelling unit in new construction. It would also eliminate any parking requirements for child care, deed-restricted housing, assisted living or residential units under 1,200 square feet. While developers have in the past built more parking than required, Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said he sees a potential for opportunistic developers to buy up infill and not allocate any parking, which would push cars out onto the city streets. If that becomes reality, Nygren said the city would eventually need to look at outlawing on-street parking, particularly if it begins affecting the city's ability to provide services like plowing or responding to emergencies. City officials expressed confusion as to why the bill was passed in a state with limited public transit. "It seems like another [law] that was borrowed from a city where you can walk out of your apartment, jump on the train or walk to work," said Planning Commission Vice President Rory Young. Kalispell city officials were not keen on some of the other zoning regulations the state Legislature wants cities to adopt under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Nygren criticized the law for prompting a "balancing act" of guiding new, diverse, development without remolding historic single-family neighborhoods and stripping away aesthetic amenities. "We shouldn't be building housing just for the sake of housing, it should still be quality," Nygren said. A potential ordinance allowing for three- and four-unit apartments wherever a single-family residence is allowed drew criticism for threatening the character of old neighborhoods. "This takes an eastside, historic, single-family home and says you can tear down and build a fourplex," Nygren said. But the process is time consuming and expensive for any developer, and he predicted it would not result in attainable housing. Planning Commission President Chad Graham was also an adamant no to the potential ordinance. Homeowner associations are exempt from adhering to some of the ordinances, which Graham worried would disproportionally affect historic neighborhoods while letting newer subdivisions off the hook. The ordinance to reduce setback areas by 25% was also looked down upon by city officials and the public, according to community feedback. Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen said the regulation may impede space needed for utilities, buffers and other infrastructure. Planning Commission member Pip Burke argued that people still need access around the outside of their house. Nygren said that the setback ordinance, among others, disregard institutional knowledge around fire safety, noise and light for the sake of increasing housing density. Many of the ordinances, though, the city already implements in some form, Sorensen said. For instance, the city encourages denser development around community hubs like business centers and named "transit corridors." Kalispell also allows multi-family housing in commercial zones through a permit process. THE COMMISSION also appeared in favor of a developer's proposal to expand a subdivision in south Kalispell. Colton Behr, developer of the Anderson Ranch subdivision that was OK'd by Council in September 2024, is looking to annex 12 acres to the 31-acre property that resides on the west side of Demersville Road and just south of Lower Valley Road. The extension, which is at the south end of the property, resides on a 100-year flood zone and is intended only for parkland and stormwater detention, according to the development proposal. The entire subdivision stakes out 166 lots for single-family detached dwellings. The homes will be 1,600 square feet or less on 4,500-square-foot lots, "which equates to small homes on small lots that can provide more attainable housing options for residents of Kalispell," according to the subdivision proposal. The subdivision shares a planned unit development with Todd Gardner, who owns property directly west that will see an Amazon distribution warehouse go up in the future. A public hearing on the extension is scheduled for June 10. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kalispell planners warn of impending parking crunch
May 15—Kalispell officials are warning that on-street parking is in jeopardy thanks to a bill awaiting the governor's signature that limits off-street parking requirements on new construction. The piece of legislation, House Bill 492, came up during the Kalispell Planning Commission's Tuesday meeting as members mulled over the preliminary draft land use plan required by the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The act, which was signed into law in 2023, requires 10 Montana cities — including Kalispell — to draft a new land use plan that emphasizes boosting housing supply. The city is required to adopt at least five of 14 potential zoning ordinances meant to stoke development, like reducing setback areas and lot size, or allowing apartments on single-family lots. Residents can peruse and vote on each regulation on the dedicated city webpage ( But an ordinance outlined in the act that limits parking regulations may become law regardless. House Bill 492, sponsored by Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, was introduced in February and would limit city parking requirements to one space per dwelling unit in new construction. It would also eliminate any parking requirements for child care, deed-restricted housing, assisted living or residential units under 1,200 square feet. While developers have in the past built more parking than required, Development Services Director Jarod Nygren said he sees a potential for opportunistic developers to buy up infill and not allocate any parking, which would push cars out onto the city streets. If that becomes reality, Nygren said the city would eventually need to look at outlawing on-street parking, particularly if it begins affecting the city's ability to provide services like plowing or responding to emergencies. City officials expressed confusion as to why the bill was passed in a state with limited public transit. "It seems like another [law] that was borrowed from a city where you can walk out of your apartment, jump on the train or walk to work," said Planning Commission Vice President Rory Young. Kalispell city officials were not keen on some of the other zoning regulations the state Legislature wants cities to adopt under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. Nygren criticized the law for prompting a "balancing act" of guiding new, diverse, development without remolding historic single-family neighborhoods and stripping away aesthetic amenities. "We shouldn't be building housing just for the sake of housing, it should still be quality," Nygren said. A potential ordinance allowing for three- and four-unit apartments wherever a single-family residence is allowed drew criticism for threatening the character of old neighborhoods. "This takes an eastside, historic, single-family home and says you can tear down and build a fourplex," Nygren said. But the process is time consuming and expensive for any developer, and he predicted it would not result in attainable housing. Planning Commission President Chad Graham was also an adamant no to the potential ordinance. Homeowner associations are exempt from adhering to some of the ordinances, which Graham worried would disproportionally affect historic neighborhoods while letting newer subdivisions off the hook. The ordinance to reduce setback areas by 25% was also looked down upon by city officials and the public, according to community feedback. Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen said the regulation may impede space needed for utilities, buffers and other infrastructure. Planning Commission member Pip Burke argued that people still need access around the outside of their house. Nygren said that the setback ordinance, among others, disregard institutional knowledge around fire safety, noise and light for the sake of increasing housing density. Many of the ordinances, though, the city already implements in some form, Sorensen said. For instance, the city encourages denser development around community hubs like business centers and named "transit corridors." Kalispell also allows multi-family housing in commercial zones through a permit process. THE COMMISSION also appeared in favor of a developer's proposal to expand a subdivision in south Kalispell. Colton Behr, developer of the Anderson Ranch subdivision that was OK'd by Council in September 2024, is looking to annex 12 acres to the 31-acre property that resides on the west side of Demersville Road and just south of Lower Valley Road. The extension, which is at the south end of the property, resides on a 100-year flood zone and is intended only for parkland and stormwater detention, according to the development proposal. The entire subdivision stakes out 166 lots for single-family detached dwellings. The homes will be 1,600 square feet or less on 4,500-square-foot lots, "which equates to small homes on small lots that can provide more attainable housing options for residents of Kalispell," according to the subdivision proposal. The subdivision shares a planned unit development with Todd Gardner, who owns property directly west that will see an Amazon distribution warehouse go up in the future. A public hearing on the extension is scheduled for June 10. Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or junderhill@
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill would add protections for children used as content by social media influencers
House Bill 392 would give legal protections to minors for their appearance in profitable family video content, protections for their privacy and an ability to protect revenue they help generate. A video Rep. Katie Zolnikov, R-Billings, saw before the session worried her. It dealt with internet safety for children, Zolnikov said, and while she doesn't have a social media account, the video originated on Instagram and led her down a rabbit hole. She started looking through the rest of the account and began learning a little more about what can happen when parents post photos and videos of their children on the internet. That video pushed her to sponsor House Bill 392, which is being called the Child Digital Protection Act. The bill would give legal protections to minors for their appearance in profitable family video content, protections for their privacy and an ability to protect revenue they help generate. The bill had little trouble passing the House before transmittal— there hasn't been a single vote cast against it on the floor or in committee — and is currently in the Senate Energy, Technology and Federal Relations committee. Her research also led her to an organization called Quit Clicking Kids, which has supported similar legislation in other states and spurred her to carry the bill, she said. 'Quit Clicking Kids is centered around the idea that when influencers use their kids for the majority of their content, the kids are the ones generating interest and revenue for that account and deserve to be compensated as such,' the organization's mission statement says. 'These children also deserve the right to privacy, something that they have been cruelly denied once they are continuously featured on public social media accounts.' Simply put, some social media influencers use their kids for content on popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram. During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, some examples Zolnikov used were potty training for young kids and first-time bra shopping for girls. The bill addresses several problems that could come up. For one, as a child grows up, they may not want videos of them on the internet. Content creators, in this case their parents or guardians, can profit from those videos and the bill gives children an ability to have some of that revenue saved for them later in their life. 'As legislators, we aim to protect our kids from a lot of different things. We don't let them go in a coal mine anymore,' Zolnikov said in an interview with the Daily Montanan. 'This is just the next version of that.' The bill does several things. For parents creating content that reaches certain thresholds of monetization, a trust fund would be created for the child, set at $0.10 per video view. It would also give children the 'Right to be forgotten,' which allows for requests to remove content involving minor children after they reach the age of majority. The $0.10 is in line with other state bills, Zolnikov said, adding that it 'might be appropriate' to look at the amount in future legislative sessions. She also added this hasn't been an issue in Montana yet, but that's part of the point of the legislation. She did cite examples from other states, as well as a book — 'The House of My Mother,' which explains one woman's story of abuse stemming from a popular family vlog. 'I don't want a horror story to be able to point to,' Zolnikov said in an interview. 'Because that means there's a horror story.' The bill gives options for children to seek legal remedies for violations of the law. Additionally, the bill would require parents to maintain documentation of the name and age of children involved in content creation, the number of videos they appear in, compensation from videos their parents received, and the amount of money deposited into the trust fund. 'It's not a crime to put pictures and videos of your children on the internet,' Zolnikov said in a Feb. 12 House Energy, Technology and Federal Relations committee hearing. 'It does become an ethical dilemma when all of a sudden you are making a lot of money.' Monetization of video content on social media can be big business. TikTok, for example, has what's called the 'Creator Fund,' which has certain eligibility requirements — 10,000 followers and 100,000 views over the last 30 days. Brands will also pay influencers to market their content. YouTube works similarly. Larger accounts with more views can add advertisements to their videos and get paid for it. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills into law last year dealing with this issue, and Zolnikov said 14 other states are looking at similar legislation. Zolnikov said a committee member asked if the bill would impact their ability to post photos of their grandchildren on Facebook. She clarified it does not and that it only impacts people who are monetizing content featuring their children. 'It's kind of cliche, but everything is changing so quickly, and I don't think, especially in some contexts where there's a lot of older members, that people don't fully grasp how scary it can be,' Zolnikov said. 'That's why I'm passionate about it.'
