At tonight’s work session, the Kalispell City Council will be looking for direction in the city’s growth policy.

The city began reviewing the 2013 growth plan earlier this year, but the process halted after finding the need for several modifications in the document’s language to make it more readable.

Kalispell Growth Policy PLAN-IT 2030 outlines the framework for growth in and around the city for the next 15 years. The plan was developed by community groups, the Kalispell Planning Board and the Kalispell City Council. The Planning Board took the document back after finding the need for modification.

The plan includes five key development projects: The Core Area Plan, Downtown Plan, South Kalispell Urban Renewal Plan, Kalispell Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan and the Kalispell Transportation Plan Update.

The 16-chapter document covers topics including housing, business, natural environment, city annexation policy and more.

The changes and updates made to the plan mostly include reworking phrases and correcting misspellings.

The original 196-page plan has been whittled down to 141 pages, mostly through condensing sentences and reworking phrases. For example, Chapter 3: Land Use, is now Chapter 3: Housing.

If the council finds more modifications need to be made, the council could develop a working group to review the document, make the modifications and then return the document in a future work session.

If the document is sufficient after the changes made in the past few months, the review process will continue where it left off earlier this year.

IN OTHER BUSINESS, the City Council will discuss what should be done with the one-way streets on Third and Fourth avenues east.

Council member Rod Kuntz proposed the topic at last week’s City Council meeting after several concerned citizens brought the issue to the previous Ward 3 town-hall meeting.

In 2013, the Technical Advisory Committee voted to replace both one-ways on the Urban Route System with Four Mile Drive to channel federal funding sources to the completion of Four Mile Drive. This means Third and Fourth avenues east are ineligible for federal funding.

In 2008, Third and Fourth avenues east were classified as minor arterials based on 2003 traffic data. Since then, residents have argued that the east-side one-ways have become high-speed routes for drivers hoping to avoid stoplights on Main Street.

Before any changes could be made, traffic counts and impact assessments need to be completed. The walking route to Cornelius Hedges Elementary School is a major concern in the issue.

Kalispell Police Chief Roger Nasset submitted an accident report for the discussion, citing accidents surrounding the two one-way streets. In the past five years, 76 accidents have occurred on Third Avenue East from Center Street to 12th Street and 58 accidents have occurred on Fourth Avenue East from Center to 12th.

Council will hear the presentation on the issue and decide what direction the city staff should take.

The work session begins today at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 201 First Avenue East.

Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at 758-4441 or by email at slarson@dailyinterlake.com.