A plan pitched by City Hall to revamp Kalispell’s downtown roadways ignited heated debate among residents and storeowners on Monday.  

It was standing room only at the May 19 Kalispell City Council public hearing on whether the municipality should apply for a competitive federal grant to help fund the construction of traffic safety features on Main Street, First Avenue East and First Avenue West.  

Council heard over two hours of public comment primarily driven by the more controversial proposed changes to Main Street, including slimming the road from four lanes to three and redistributing the space for wider sidewalks spanning up to 10 feet. The changes, among other upgrades like flashing beacons and raised crosswalks, are intended to prevent roadway collisions on the street, which saw 258 crashes between 2018 and 2022.  

Residents expressed concern over the potential for traffic congestion caused by the removal of travel lanes to spill over onto surrounding roads. Opponents also argued that delivery trucks and motorists maneuvering to parallel park will stall traffic when there is no extra lane to move around them.  

“Yes, the picture is beautiful,” said Fran Tabor, former owner of A1 Vacuum & Sewing Center, regarding the design renderings. “Living with it may not be so pretty.” 

Supporters think the remodel will bring in needed commerce to downtown businesses by inviting foot traffic. Others are hopeful the changes will curb reckless driving and make the street safer to cross.  

Lane reduction, also known as a road diet, is a widely used, low-cost practice meant to improve safety, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Road diets have been found to reduce crashes by up to 47%.  

According to a city study, the reduction would delay traffic by 30 to 60 seconds. The delay is projected to increase to between 60 and 90 seconds by 2045. 

An issue echoed by many was parking. While parallel parking will remain on all three thoroughfares, residents felt that a lack of parking overall was driving people out of downtown.  

“I think that is the single sort of issue that our community needs to deal with,” said Sykes owner Ray Thompson, who opposed the Main Street Plan. He said parking availability was the main reason he bought the Sykes property.  

But the grant program will not cover the construction of new parking areas, according to Development Services Director Jarod Nygren. The grant can only be used for traffic safety improvements. 

Councilor Sid Daoud noted that a city parking garage was planned and approved by Council.  

Whatever their stance on the Main Street plan, residents and business owners agreed that downtown foot traffic is dismal.   

“It’s a barren wasteland of concrete and asphalt,” said Kalispell resident Joseph Sappington, who felt that the project would give Main Street needed character.  

Real Estate agent Susanne Wigginton warned that downtown businesses won’t survive the shuttering of Main Street for construction.  

“Property values will plummet as the commercial spaces lose tenants,” she said. 

But Bill Moseley, chair of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and CEO of GL Solutions, thinks the plan will give a breath of new life to an area facing increasing vacancy and turnover rates.  

“You have this immense stretch of pavement, fast moving, large trucks going right through the middle of downtown. And so as a result people just don’t feel comfortable going down there,” Moseley said.  

The $25 million in federal money the city is looking to tap into would come from the Safe Streets for All Implementation Grant program, but language in the program’s notice for funding opportunity put out by the Trump administration says lane reductions would be “viewed less favorably” by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The program was established under former President Joe Biden and the deadline to apply is June 26. A 20% match is required, which Nygren said would come from revenue created through the Downtown tax increment financing district. 

“I appreciate all the comments,” said Mayor Mark Johnson before adjourning. “Trust me, there is a lot of thinking going on up here.”  

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