The public can weigh in Tuesday on a proposal to erect seven multi-family apartment buildings in South Kalispell.  

A public hearing will be during a Kalispell Planning Commission meeting at 6 p.m. on July 8 at City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.  

Roger Foley, represented by Jackola Engineering & Architecture, PC, is proposing 99 multi-family apartment units on a 12-acre plot of land between Ashley Creek and Bluestone Drive.  

The two-story buildings will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom units and the development will include a clubhouse, parking, sidewalks and landscaping, according to a report filed with the city Development Services Department. The buildings will be around 33 feet in height.  

The land is currently county-owned, so the developer is looking for annexation of the property into the city, approval of a conditional use permit and initial zoning of RA-1 (residential apartment). Kalispell’s growth policy designates the area as urban residential, which supports high-density development. 

“[The development] will contribute to the city’s supply of multi-family housing and support affordability through medium-density infill,” read the report.   

The undeveloped property is surrounded by older neighborhoods and some new residential development.  

Several public comments opposing the development have already been submitted to the Planning Commission. Nearby residents believe it is too big to fit the character of the surrounding neighborhood and worry that increased traffic will threaten pedestrian safety. Strain on the school district and encroachment into wildlife habitat were also listed as concerns.  

Open space would be preserved along Ashley Creek by clustering the buildings to the southern portion of the property. The project calls for nearly 5 acres of open space, including landscape buffers, open areas and pedestrian connections.  

South Meadows Drive will be extended into the property and fitted with sidewalks, curb, gutter and landscaped boulevards. The project is expected to generate around 667 daily trips, which existing and proposed roads can accommodate, according to a traffic study by Abelin Traffic Services.  

The developers are also going over the parking requirement by painting 176 off-street spaces.  

Public infrastructure like water and sewer are already in place and able to serve the property, according to the report.  

FOLLOWING THE hearing, the commission will mull over a proposal for a mixed-use development in the Silverbrook Village subdivision consisting of 228 condominiums.  

Montarise Developments submitted the proposal that would see condos and stores on around 12-acres at the very north end of Silverbrook Village. Buildings would range from two-units to larger multi-unit ones.   

The commission will also hold another meeting on drafting its new land use plan, which is required under the Montana Land Use Planning Act signed into law by Gov. Greg Gianforte in May 2023.  

The law requires Kalispell, among other larger Montanan cities, to rewrite its land use plan relying heavily on public input but limiting public involvement on site-specific developments.  

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