The Kalispell Planning Commission on Tuesday backed a proposal to develop a commercial subdivision in South Kalispell.  

Todd Gardner is requesting major preliminary plat approval to subdivide 37 acres zoned B-5 (industrial business) into 10 lots for commercial/light industrial use. 

Known as the South Town Plaza Subdivision, the proposal is part of a 95-acre planned unit development approved by Kalispell City Council in September 2024 that will see both commercial and residential areas and includes an Amazon distribution warehouse.  

The project runs along the east side of U.S. 93 between Clark Hyundai to the north and Fred’s Appliances to the south. United Drive will be extended north and connect with a road that will access the highway, according to the developer’s conceptual plans.  

Lower Valley Road resident Cornelis Fabricius said during public comment that traffic from the planned single-family neighborhood would make the intersection of U.S. 93, Cemetery Road and Willow Glen Drive more dangerous.  

“There’s going to be a lot more traffic on Lower Valley Road. Right now, in the morning at rush hour time and in the evening, trying to get out of Lower Valley Road is really difficult and dangerous,” he told the commission.  

Council will consider the proposal May 4.  

NO RESIDENTS weighed in on a proposal to revamp three existing low-income apartment complexes off Two Mile Drive.  

Kalispell Investment Group, LP, and the affordable housing nonprofit The Beneficial Housing Corporation are looking to tune up three adjacent apartment complexes totaling 116 units. Altogether, the complexes boast 55 one-bedroom, 55 two-bedroom and 6 three-bedroom apartments.  

Kalispell Senior, Westwind Village and Two-Mile Vista apartments comprise the trio of buildings that the developers plan to renovate and continue operating as below-market rentals.  

Infinity Property Management & Investments, LLC will continue managing the properties, which get subsidies from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Section 515 loan program. The developers also applied for funding through the federal 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, according to a report prepared by BJM Law on behalf of the developers. 

The developers plan to seek property tax-exempt status through the Montana Department of Revenue, according to the report. 

Assistant Development Services Director PJ Sorensen said that the public hearing was only a statutory requirement for the developer to apply for low-income housing tax credits and that city leadership will not be voting on the matter. 

“This isn’t a project that the city is processing through as an application. We’re not approving anything or conditioning anything,” he said.  

BEFORE ADJOURNING, Planning Commission President Chad Graham bid farewell to city staff and his fellow commission members as he marked the end of his term, which expires this month. 

Graham — who is also a former city councilor — served on the commission for 17 years. 

“Everything I’ve learned from staff and then all the other faces that have come and gone from behind the dais, it’s been really inspiring to me. I’m glad I did it,” he said.  

Commission members Pip Burke, Joshua Borgardt and Cody Hunter all have terms that expire in April.  

Burke has indicated that she will not seek reappointment, according to Sorensen.  

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 406-758-4407 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.