Downtown plans differ, but worth pursuing

The downtown corridors of Kalispell and Columbia Falls were in the news last week as two very different scenarios take shape for those core areas. Both visions have merit.

The city of Kalispell has taken another step toward preserving its downtown historic district. A $15,000 grant from the Montana Department of Commerce Main Street Program will enable the Kalispell Downtown Business Improvement District and Architectural Review Committee to develop design guidelines for historic downtown buildings. With more than 55 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in the downtown area, Kalispell is wise to do whatever it takes to preserve that history.

Cities all across America have tapped into historic preservation as a way to draw visitors, whether it’s Seattle’s Pioneer Square and its fascinating underground tours or Boston’s picturesque Victorian brick row houses lit by antique lanterns. History always plays well with tourists, but preserving old buildings digs into the very soul of a community, connecting the past with its present and future.

In Columbia Falls, a very different downtown development is proposed. Developer Mick Ruis, who has poured millions of dollars into Columbia Falls urban redevelopment in recent years, wants to raze the former First Citizens Bank building in the heart of downtown and build two three-story buildings that would include a health club with two pools, a wrestling room and sports bar, along with more retail space and 54 apartment condominium units.

The goal of this major mixed-use project on Columbia Falls’ Nucleus Avenue, Ruis said, is to create a walkable downtown that fosters a sense of community as residents are able to shop and live in the same area.

Columbia Falls doesn’t have the rows of stately brick buildings lining its main street like Kalispell does, so it makes sense to reinvent the space. Ruis’ project will dramatically change the landscape of Nucleus Avenue, to be sure, but his project plays well into the redevelopment that has followed Columbia Falls’ shift from an industry town to a “gateway” community of Glacier National Park.

It wasn’t that many years ago Whitefish transformed its downtown corridor with a streetscape project that widened the sidewalks and added pedestrian-friendly features to Central Avenue. There were naysayers of those improvements, but proponents persevered and the results have been dramatic.

On any given summer evening you’ll see throngs of visitors and locals strolling about. Restaurants and retail shops have benefited from the street improvements. Yes, it’s a tight fit for those extended-cab pickups that want to park along Central Avenue, but by and large Whitefish has created a downtown space where people want to spend time.

Finding the ideal solution for downtown development isn’t a one-size-fits-all. Downtowns have struggled for decades as the nature of retail shifted to outlying malls and commercial development. Now the pendulum seems to be swinging the other way, with big-box stores and major retailers struggling.

The magic happens for downtown corridors when community leaders come together with a vision and follow through to make it happen.