Kalispell Council seeks public input on large housing development in North Kalispell
JACK UNDERHILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year AGO
Kalispell City Council chambers in City Hall on Wednesday, April 3. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Casey Kreider
KALISPELL GOVERNMENT, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION REPORTER Jack Underhill covers Kalispell city government, housing and transportation for the Daily Inter Lake. His reporting focuses on how local policy decisions affect residents and the rapidly growing Flathead Valley. Underhill has reported on housing challenges, infrastructure issues and regional service providers across Montana. His work also includes accountability reporting on complex community issues and public institutions. Originally from Massachusetts, Underhill graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Journalism before joining the Inter Lake. In his free time, Underhill enjoys mountain biking around the valley, skiing up on Big Mountain or exploring Glacier National Park. IMPACT: Jack’s work helps residents understand how growth, housing and infrastructure decisions affect the future of their community. | July 21, 2025 12:00 AM
Kalispell City Council is inviting the public to weigh in on a large high-density development proposed in North Kalispell.
A public hearing on the proposal will be held at 7 p.m. Monday in City Hall, 201 First Ave. E.
Named the Reserve at Johnson Ranch, the development would see 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 sits at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stillwater Road and Old Reserve Drive.
The subdivision would include a commercial space for grocery stores, convenience stores and small shops meant to serve the neighborhood and divert traffic from other business areas around the city.
The Kalispell Planning Commission moved the proposal forward to Council after a March meeting but asked that the developers flesh out how the commercial space will look to ensure it fits a neighborhood feel.
The developers, Spartan Holdings LLC and Whispering Trails LLC, are requesting annexation, a growth policy amendment, initial zoning of residential, residential apartment and neighborhood business with a planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat approval. The property is currently undeveloped.
The growth policy amendment would add a commercial section, shift the existing high-density zoning designation and extend the existing urban residential designation, according to a city planner report.
The subdivision is expected to be built in multiple phases over the next 12 years, with construction intended to start in the fall of 2025, according to the developer’s plans.
Council will not vote on the proposed development Monday but is expected to make a decision during a meeting on Aug. 4, according to a city memo.
On the consent agenda, Council is expected to award the bid to reconstruct West Wyoming Street, between Seventh Avenue West North and Fourth Avenue West North, to contractor Montana Rockies.
The project was budgeted in fiscal 2026 and is expected to cost around $430,000.
Reporter Jack Underhill may be reached at 758-4407 or [email protected].
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