Kalispell City Council gave a high-density subdivision in North Kalispell the green light on Monday.  

Named the Reserve at Johnson Ranch, the development calls for nearly 500 dwelling units made up of 186 single-family lots and two multi-family lots — one containing 237 units and the other with up to 70. The nearly 92-acre area adjacent to the Owl View Landing condominiums sits at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stillwater Road and Old Reserve Drive. 

The subdivision includes commercial space for a 40,000-square-foot grocery store and small retail shops meant to serve the neighborhood and ease traffic to other business areas around the city.  

Council approved the developers’ request to annex the property into the city, amend the growth policy to allow for the development and approved initial zoning of residential, residential apartment and neighborhood business. 

Council also gave the OK to the planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat, but Councilor Ryan Hunter expressed concern over pedestrian safety along Stillwater Road.   

A park and playground area are planned for the north end of the property across Stillwater Road. Hunter said kids crossing the street to play at the park area will face a risk given the gravel trucks that frequently rumble to and from the excavation site just north.  

“I think the safety consideration is pretty significant here,” he said. 

Hunter made a motion to require the developers to install flashing beacons on the planned crosswalk on Stillwater Road.  

Councilor Sid Daoud was the only opposition to the amendment. He said that he didn’t want to impose on developers early in the project because preliminary plats are conceptual in nature and typically change by the time final plat is approved.  

“It has nothing to do with me hating children or not liking flashing lights. It has to do with not imposing restrictions on a concept,” Daoud said, responding to an earlier lighthearted jab by Mayor Mark Johnson regarding his no vote. 

Critics of the subdivision attended a July public hearing to express concerns over the lack of street infrastructure to support such a large subdivision. 

While not immediately necessary, the two 90-degree turns on Stillwater Road will eventually be turned into roundabouts, according to a city report.  

Developers Spartan Holdings LLC and Whispering Trails LLC also plan to reconstruct the street with a center two-way left turn lane, according to a traffic impact study conducted by Abelin Traffic Services. 

The approach onto Old Reserve Drive is planned as a right in/out only approach. The road will also require improvements, including curb and gutter, street signage, a sidewalk, street lighting, boulevards and landscaping, according to a city report.  

JOHNSON, AT the end of the meeting, encouraged property owners to apply for property tax rebates, which was recently announced by the Montana Department of Revenue.  

“You should have received a letter from the governor where you can send him an application to get some of your tax money back that they shouldn’t have, back in the last couple sessions,” he said.  

“I’ve never got mine back — I don’t think he likes me,” said Johnson, a frequent critic of Gov. Greg Gianforte.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected].