The Kalispell Planning Commission gave the green light to a proposed accessory casino for a forthcoming downtown steakhouse.  

Truyen Tran, on behalf of 214 Main Kalispell LLC, is seeking a conditional use permit to open a casino inside the future 214 S. Main St. Restaurant. Known as the Mountain Prime Steakhouse, the restaurant is expected to take up about 11,000 square feet while the casino — separated with walls — will come in at 960 square feet.  

The proposal goes before Kalispell City Council on July 7.  

The property is located within the central business zoning district which allows restaurants and bars but requires a city-issued permit to run a casino. No exterior changes to the building are expected to be made.  

“I’m not wild about the casino use but it’s good to see a currently vacant building getting new life,” said board member Rory Young. 

The restaurant and casino will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. 

Tran is also the owner of Blue Samurai Sushi Bar and Grill in downtown Kalispell and several other ventures in and around the city.  

THE COMMISSION also OK’d a high-density development proposed in North Kalispell.  which will go before Council on July 7.  

Known as the Reserve at Johnson Ranch, the subdivision would see 186 single-family lots and two multi-family lots, one of which contains 237 units and the other up to 70. The nearly 92 acres of land sits at the northwest corner of the intersection of Stillwater Road and Old Reserve Drive.  

“It’s gonna go through and give a lot of good opportunity for more affordable housing stock,” said Planning Commission President Chad Graham.  

The subdivision features commercial space with up to 110,000 square feet of stores, including a 40,000-square-foot grocery store. The city’s growth policy staked out various plots of land around the city intended for business use.  

“As the city grows, there is an increased need for commercial services and the potential for increased driving times to access these services,” said Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen.   

The commercial zones are meant to create neighborhoods with easy access to shops, “reducing impacts on the overall transportation system,” he said.  

Traffic studies determined the need for two roundabouts on Stillwater Road to replace two 90-degree turns just north of the proposed subdivision and adjacent to a gravel pit owned by contractor LHC.  

THE COMMISSION OK’d the expansion of a subdivision in South Kalispell sending it to Council for consideration on July 7. 

The Anderson Ranch subdivision was approved by Council last September, but developer Colton Behr is looking to annex 12 more acres to the 31-acre property located on the west side of Demersville Road and just south of Lower Valley Road.

The extension is intended only for parkland and stormwater detention. The entire subdivision stakes out 166 small lots for single-family detached dwellings.  

The neighborhood shares a planned unit development with Todd Gardner, who owns property directly west that will see an Amazon distribution center.  

A condition within the development agreement states that the billboards along the highway must be removed prior to the certificate of occupancy for the Amazon project or any other development within the planned unit development. 

Lamar Advertising, who owns the billboards, objected to the condition, according to Sorensen. He said the dispute does not mean any development would need to be tabled.  

THE COMMISSION mulled over zoning regulations handed down from the state Legislature under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. 

Senate Bill 382 was signed into law in May 2023 by Gov. Greg Gianforte and required 10 Montana cities, including Kalispell, to draft a new land use plan geared towards bolstering housing construction and influenced largely through community engagement.  

Under the law, Kalispell must adopt a minimum of five out of 14 zoning regulations identified in the act that are meant to promote attainable housing by easing restrictive policies.  

Based on feedback from planning staff and members of the public, the city determined that preferred regulations included zoning for higher density housing near community hubs — like places of employment and colleges — and allowing apartments in commercial areas.  

The commission veered away from proposed regulations that included reducing impact fees or minimum lot sizes, or increasing maximum building height.  

Sorensen assured the commission that the city already practices many of the zoning regulations outlined in the law.  

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” he said. 

Learn more about the Montana Land Use Planning Act at engagekalispell.com.   

THE CORWIN Motors dealership expansion request earned the commission’s support, meaning it will go before Council on July 7. 

The Corwin Brothers Properties, LLC is asking for business zoning and annexation of 7 acres of land running up along the Stillwater River. The project would include construction of a car reconditioning shop.  

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