Kalispell may see more skybridges go up in the coming future.

Kalispell City Council is expected to vote Monday on an ordinance allowing pedestrian skybridges on property zoned for business, health and public uses. Council meets at 7 p.m., Feb. 3 in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E. 

While it will be applied citywide, the amendment came about after Immanuel Living proposed building a skybridge between its senior living facility on the west side of Claremont Street and an incoming independent living facility called the Lofts at Buffalo Hill. The apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms, are expected to open in 2027.  

The skybridge is intended to make travel between the two buildings safer and more accessible for residents, many of whom have mobility issues, according to a letter from the developer heading the project, L’Heureux Werner Architects.  

The Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed ordinance on Jan. 14 but no public comment was given at the meeting. The amendment was approved and passed on to Council.  

Current policy does not allow structures to encroach into setback areas, but if a skybridge crosses a right of way it must, according to a memo from Kalispell Development Services.  

While skybridges are not directly addressed in the city’s growth policy, separating vehicle and pedestrian traffic reduces potential accidents, which is consistent with policy, according to official documents.  

There are two other skybridges in Kalispell, one connecting two Glacier Bank buildings downtown and another connecting two county office buildings across 11th Street West.  

ON THE consent agenda for Monday night, Council is expected to disburse around $283,000 in sewer impact fee funds to Meadows Edge LLC. 

The funds would cover the cost of upsizing a wastewater pumping station the developer is looking to install on the Meadows Edge development. The property is located on the west side of Kalispell, north of Three Mile Drive and west of Farm to Market Road.  

The city will cover the cost to increase infrastructure capacity beyond what the developer needs, as is practice in areas where more growth is anticipated, according to a Public Works memo.   

Council is also expected to approve paying around $82,000 to Montana Roof Worx LLC for replacing the roof skin on City Hall. Some roof rot and other unforeseen issues raised the original price tag by about $3,000.  

Council will also hold a second reading of the ordinance penalizing unsafe and vacant structures that was approved on Jan. 21. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and junderhill@dailyinterlake.com.