A growth policy that lays out a framework to guide growth in and around Kalispell over the next 20 years is the focus of a public hearing and vote at tonight’s Kalispell City Council meeting.

The Kalispell Growth Policy “PLAN-IT 2030” was developed through a comprehensive outreach effort with various community groups, and has been reviewed by both the Kalispell Planning Board and council.

While the growth policy is an official public document, it doesn’t create law or regulate development, but is rather a community guide for making land-use decisions.

“It is, at its most fundamental level, a blueprint for the physical development of the community,” the growth policy states.

The growth policy looks at three key planning areas: Kalispell city limits, an area covering 11.75 square miles; land beyond city limits where annexation could be reasonable within the next decade; and the Growth Policy Planning Area that extends three miles out from city limits and is the area anticipated for growth over the next 30 to 50 years.

Once the growth policy is adopted, the next step is to begin to develop five key projects, including the Core Area Plan and a downtown plan to energize the historic city core. Other projects are the South Kalispell Urban Renewal Plan, the Kalispell Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan and the Kalispell Transportation Plan Update.

Kalispell adopted its first master plan in 1962. It was updated in 1974 and then re-affirmed in 1978 when Flathead County and the three incorporated cities — Kalispell, Whitefish and Columbia Falls ‚ jointly drafted the county comprehensive plan.

A Kalispell City-County Master Plan was adopted in 1986. From 1997 to 2001 a draft growth policy was produced but wasn’t adopted because the county dissolved the Kalispell City-County Planning Board that represented a 4.5 mile “doughnut” around Kalispell.

After a city Planning Board was formed, the 2001 draft was used as the basis for the growth policy adopted in 2003.

The current growth policy effort began two years ago.

IN OTHER business, the council will consider a proposed ordinance that repeals a 2006 ordinance that established a Kalispell City Airport Affected Area to seed federal funding for airport upgrades beyond its use as a general aviation airport.

Since city voters by referendum last year rejected the airport upgrade, the earlier ordinance is no longer needed.

“The land-use restrictions incorporated into [the 2006] ordinance reflected a more intensive use of the airport than the restrictions necessary for its current use as a general aviation airport,” City Attorney Charlie Harball said in a memorandum to council members. “The city should not place more restrictive land-use regulations on private property than what is best for the general safety and welfare of its citizens.”

The new ordinance establishes land-use regulations that are consistent with the current and apparent future use of the city airport.

The council will consider a proposed change to the city’s pawn shop and secondhand store ordinance that would require electronic reporting to a database to provide for a more efficient search of potential stolen items and suspects.

City staff is recommending that the county approve a memorandum of understanding between the Kalispell Golf Association and the city of Kalispell, and to authorize the reimbursement of the fiscal year 2014 lease payment.

The golf association and city have been negotiating an agreement that would place the capital protection program responsibilities under the golf association in lieu of allowing the association to keep its annual lease payment.

The council previously approved a 90-day extension to allow the golf association to review the arrangement, with the stipulation its 2014 lease payment be returned if they agreed to the memorandum of understanding.

The Kalispell Golf Association recently signed the memorandum.

The council also will consider a resolution saying it’s the council’s intent to reduce the city-imposed millage on city property in the event the county’s emergency dispatch referendum passes, so that it remains tax-neutral for city taxpayers.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Kalispell City Hall. 

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.