The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s plan to subdivide 32 acres of Section 36 school trust land for Bright View Professional cleared the advisory Kalispell Planning Board with unanimous support Tuesday.

The proposed development site is zoned R-5 residential and bordered by West Reserve Drive to the north, Reserve Loop to the west and the future U.S. 93 Alternate Route to the east.

Bright View Professional’s first tenant, Glacier Eye Clinic, has entered a 40-year lease to build a new 22,000-square-foot clinic on four acres of the land. The clinic is under construction and slated to open in April 2014.

The state agency aims to attract other businesses interested in leasing land to develop professional office space at the Bright View property.

Bright View is the latest development proposal for a square mile of school trust land that over the last 20 years has blossomed from an old alfalfa field into one of Kalispell’s busiest commercial areas and one of Montana’s most lucrative pieces of school trust land.

Land and easement sales there have generated millions of dollars for school trust coffers. With extensive commercial development by businesses such as Lowe’s, Costco, McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Wells Fargo Bank, Starbucks, Famous Dave’s BBQ, MedNorth Urgent Care, Holiday Inn Express and now Cabela’s, land leases generate hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the school trust.

Planning board members voted 5-0 to recommend that the Kalispell City Council approve a preliminary plat for the Bright View Professional subdivision. Board members Rory Young and Charles Pesola did not attend the meeting.

“This will create a nice transition of professional office buildings, nice easy architecture, well landscaped, lower usage, and make an outstanding buffer, again, to really fill up that end of town. This is a good use of DNRC land,” planning board member Ken Hannah said about the proposal.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, planning board members also supported a zoning change requested for two vacant lots totaling 1.8 acres at 1252 N. Meridian Rd. The zoning would change from R-4 residential to B-1 neighborhood business.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.