The Columbia Falls Planning Commission gave a positive recommendation for a conditional use permit for a 40-unit apartment complex on  a little more than 2 acres near the intersection of Best Way Drive and Meadow Lake Boulevard Thursday night.

Norton Luxury Homes of Bigfork is proposing two, two-story multi-family buildings with a total of 40 units, 10 on each floor. There will be 36 two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units at 302 Meadow Lake Boulevard. 

The buildings will have exterior entrances to each unit, with stairs to the second-floor units. A total of 80 parking spaces will be provided. Each unit will have two parking spaces. There are four ADA parking spaces provided on site, along with two loading areas provided in the parking area, the application to the city states.

The project has several conditions and the planning commission added one more – that the apartments could not be short-term rentals.

The applicant’s representative said they were agreeable to that.

The city had previously approved 36 units at the same location, but the conditional use permit expired and the property was sold to Norton.

One of the conditions of the project will require a sidewalk along Meadow Lake Boulevard in front of the property. Resident Mike Burr urged the city to make sure it had proper lighting. The applicant’s representative noted there would be lighting throughout the project.

The sidewalk requirement will now mean a sidewalk from the intersection of Highway 2 to the apartments, as a new hotel on Highway 2 also will have a sidewalk as will an industrial park in between the two properties.

Resident Shirley Folkwein urged the property owners to preserve as many trees as possible, as the lot is currently wooded.