The Daily Inter Lake

A 904-unit housing development in Hungry Horse earned a negative recommendation from the Flathead County Planning Board on Wednesday, largely because of density concerns.

Developers Stephan Byrd and Dennis Konopatzke proposed The South Fork Addition on 90 acres on the southeast side of town.

The overall project density would exceed 10 units an acre, with some areas having as many as 20 units an acre. By comparison, single-family neighborhoods in downtown Kalispell have about five units an acre.

"It doesn't seem prudent to try to squeeze one of the largest subdivisions we've ever seen in the Flathead Valley into one of the smallest communities," said John Hinchey, one of 16 people who spoke during the public hearing. "When you're talking about quadrupling the size of a community in one fell swoop, you have to realize it's too much."

Mike White, who grew up in Hungry Horse, agreed that the density might be an issue. However, he also applauded the developers for wanting to invest in the Canyon.

"I'd like to see some positive growth in this area," White said. "I'm not going to argue the density, but if a private developer is willing to come in and spend a lot of money here, and build a sewage-treatment plant, that wouldn't hurt."

Byrd and Konopatzke purchased the former U.S. Forest Service property at auction last year for $2.38 million. They proposed a mix of housing options, including 16 single-family home lots, 92 duplex townhouse units, 162 triplex units and 634 multi-family apartment or condominium units. One five-acre lot also would be created next to U.S. 2 for commercial construction.

They indicated that the project would be built out during the next 10 to 15 years, depending on market conditions.

About a third of the property would be left as open space, parkland or walking trails. A public wastewater-treatment plant would be built as well. If necessary, the facility could be expanded to serve all of Hungry Horse.

Matt Gough with HDR Engineering, which designed the treatment system, said the expansion would cost the community about $1.3 million - compared with about $2.5 million if it were to build its own treatment facility from scratch.

"The savings to the community is greater than a million dollars," he said.

The developers indicated that one of the main objectives for the project, and one of the reasons for the high density, was to promote affordable housing.

"If you want a sewage treatment plant and you want it to be affordable, there has to be volume [density]," said Kalispell attorney Rich DeJana, who was representing the developers.

The Planning Board, however, reacted skeptically to this claim - particularly after the developers acknowledged that they would be providing only the infrastructure, after which portions of the property might be sold to other developers to handle the actual construction.

"If they aren't doing the full build out and have no control over the final price, how can they assure us it's going to be affordable?" asked board member Gene Dziza.

"I don't like promises of affordability," said board member Kim Fleming. "They're going to sell for whatever the market will bear, and then all these people are going to have to drive somewhere else to work."

Given the potential negative impacts on emergency services, schools, roads and other services, the Flathead County Planning Office recommended denial of The South Fork Addition.

The developers took exception to the planning staff report, suggesting that it was biased and had ignored letters of support from the local fire and ambulance services, and from Sheriff Jim Dupont. They also criticized the staff for apparently ignoring the goals and policies of the Canyon neighborhood plan.

"This proposal complies fully with that plan," said land-use planner Brian Wood, with Cache Creek Consulting. "It provides the infrastructure and raw land needed for future commercial development. It provides affordable housing, abundant open space, and it provides a public sewage treatment system.

"This proposal will impact the community - we've acknowledged that - but the long-term build-out will allow the service providers to react accordingly."

Planning Director Jeff Harris said the developers' presentation failed to address the central issue, which was whether building an urban-density subdivision in Hungry Horse, miles from the nearest retail and employment services, was appropriate at this time.

Several Planning Board members complimented the developers for certain aspects of the project and suggested that they work with the Hungry Horse community to come up with an alternative that would be more acceptable.

The board voted 8-1 to recommend denial. The issue now goes to the commissioners for final action, unless the developers pull the application.

Also on Wednesday, outgoing board members Charles Lapp and Jeff Larsen received a standing ovation from the audience, planning staff and their fellow board members, in appreciation for their years of service.

Lapp has served on the board for two years, after several years on the Columbia Falls City-County Planning Board. Larsen has been on the board for seven years, longer than any other current member.

Just in the past two years, the board has held more than 80 meetings and workshops, an average of more than three a month. During that time, each board member has volunteered hundreds or thousands of hours, evaluating various planning proposals and reviewing the new growth policy.

Reporter Bill Spence may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at bspence@dailyinterlake.com