Spring Creek development proposal is too dense
The Kalispell Planning Board just recommended approval of a massive housing development called Spring Creek Park, located between Two Mile Drive and Three Mile Drive next to West Spring Creek Road.
This decision was so wrong on so many levels. First of all, the parcel is entirely zoned for single-family homes. It is surrounded on all four sides by single-family homes. There will be about 200 single family homes, on small lots, most of them townhouses or row-houses, on even smaller lots. The developer is also proposing 464 apartment units, with a height of 45 feet on all of them. In order to do this a zone change is required and was part of the approval.
No one is arguing that the parcel will be developed, just that the high density apartments are inappropriate in that location. From the Kalispell Growth Policy, I quote: “High density housing developments should be located in close proximity to other necessary services and incorporate bus stops and shelters in their design.” This area is miles from any “necessary services”.
The Kalispell Zoning Regulations define Zone RA1- Residential Apartment as “Intended to provide for urban areas for multifamily use and compatible non-residential uses of medium land use intensity. It should be served with all public utilities and be in close proximity to municipal services, parks and shopping districts.”
Once again, this area is not urban and is miles from any shopping or other services.
Additionally, within the zoning regulations, section 28.1.3. lists the purposes of the regulations, among them is No. 8: “The avoidance or minimization of congestion.”
Anyone driving Three Mile Drive knows that road is not adequate for the traffic volume from 600 plus new homes. There is already one failing intersection on Three Mile Drive. Two Mile Drive will suffer just as much with a projected increase in traffic of 85%. The required transportation study nearly ignored Two Mile and made no mention of the other apartment complex closer to Meridian, which is only 1/3 completed and will be contributing hugely to congestion when complete. Two Mile Drive is a narrow county road, with no shoulder and drainage ditches on both sides. It also has many pedestrians using it, and with no shoulder, they have no choice except to walk or bike right in the traffic lanes.
From the Planning Board’s own website, I quote their statement of purpose: “To improve the present health, safety, convenience, and welfare of Kalispell citizens, and to plan for the future development of the community to the end:
that highway systems be carefully planned
that new community centers grow only with adequate highway, health, utility, educational, and recreational facilities.”
So again, the board ignored the “careful planning of highway systems.” The board also ignored the health, safety, and convenience of Kalispell citizens. This statement means that they should be working for all of Kalispell’s citizens, not just the developers.
There is not a reason in the world why this parcel couldn’t remain all single-family and be developed as such. It is the addition of the zone change and the 464 apartments that increases the congestion to such an extreme level and blocks sight lines totally. A homeowner who buys a house adjoining undeveloped land should be able to do his due diligence and once confirming that the land is zoned single family, he should be able to count on that remaining.
The adjoining homeowners will be looking at what will amount to a 45-foot-tall wall of apartments. The city of Kalispell is not treating homeowners right. And I do not know how this random zone change can possibly be legal. What is the point of zoning if it can be changed on any capricious whim? How is any other homeowner to be assured that the lot next door to him won’t go the same way?
The Planning Board could have done some minimal mitigation, they could have put in a height restriction that would have taken the apartments down to two stories. This would have been a big help, but they chose not to do even that. What this says to me is that is open season for building in Kalispell, there is no zoning, build what you want, anywhere you want.
I only hope that the Kalispell City Council will do the right thing on March 7, for ALL of Kalispell’s citizens, not just the developers.
Diane Etter lives in Kalispell.