The Kalispell City Council agreed to scrap plans for a North Kalispell roundabout during a brief meeting on Tuesday.

The roundabout originally was proposed on Stillwater Road. In 2008, the city made plans with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to build a roundabout connecting Stillwater Road and a new development that was expected to go into place on the west side of the road, north of Four Mile Drive and south of West Reserve Drive.

At that time, the DNRC committed $500,000 to build the roundabout between Stillwater Road and the proposed roadway, known as Farmstead Parkway.

But in the 12 years since the city and the state agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the roundabout, the property west of Stillwater Road hasn't seen any development.

Nonetheless, the DNRC has included the $500,000 commitment in its budget every year since the agreement went into place.

The council on Tuesday agreed to rescind the memorandum.

Going forward, the DNRC still would be obligated to fund a future intersection improvement once it comes to fruition. A current solution will be developed based on up-to-date traffic patterns and costs.

Although the initial roundabout plan is off the table now, it's possible a roundabout could still emerge as the preferred option to develop the property, City Manager Doug Russell pointed out.

"We're not limiting what could potentially be a roundabout," Russell said. "We don't know. We don't know what that development is going to be. It may be a roundabout. It's whatever that traffic control review would dictate."

IN OTHER business, the council gave its support to the long-awaited Kalispell Historic District Design Standards.

The council voted to incorporate the new regulatory standards into Kalispell zoning laws, and to make available a guideline document that gives additional information to business owners and builders.

The Downtown Business Improvement District received a grant to develop these standards in 2020 from the state's Montana Main Street Program.

The BID worked with contractor A & E Design to come up with the standards, which pertain to the appearance of building facades in and around downtown Kalispell.

Some city stakeholders are enthusiastic about the standards, such as Julia Pierrottet with the Architectural Review Committee, who provided public comment in support of the standards on Tuesday.

"It will be so helpful to the Architectural Review Committee to have a framework that we can use to help owners and builders to go in and to guide them so that we are able to maintain the character and history of our Main Street," Pierrottet said.

Others, like council member Sid Daoud, had reservations about the standards. Although Daoud ultimately voted in favor of the standards, he said he was worried about the financial hurdles they might impose on downtown businesses.

"I understand the reasoning behind this and what we're trying to do, but I just want to make sure we're not edging anybody out that wants to have a business downtown," Daoud said.

The Tuesday meeting also included a public hearing on the city's proposed budget of $104 million for the fiscal year that began July 1, but no public comments were received. Final budget approval will be made in August.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at 406-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.