City councilors shared their visions Monday for future development along U.S. 93 in North Kalispell during a review of the new land use plan meant to guide the municipality’s growth in the next 20 years.  

Councilors reviewed chapters five and six of the new growth policy being crafted under the Montana Land Use Planning Act. The chapters outline the challenges facing the city and identify goals related to commercial and economic development, as well as the natural environment within and around Kalispell. 

Mayor Ryan Hunter criticized a goal in the land use plan calling for additional buffers and landscaping between new development and U.S. 93 North. He instead advocated for a design similar to Main Street, with a mix of housing and retail placed close to the roadway and wider sidewalks to encourage more foot traffic. 

“Pedestrians who are using the sidewalk can easily access and interact with businesses that are along that road to make that street more dynamic, more engaging for the public rather than something that you drive through and then you drive into,” he said.  

He added that green space buffers along the highway encourage sprawl and are often left unused because of their proximity to the road.  

But Councilor Sam Nunnally said that he often sees bicyclists and pedestrians using the paths running along the highway and nearby roads by the Dan Johns Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex and Flathead Valley Community College. 

“I’m having trouble envisioning putting a building right next to a [45 mph to 65 mph] road. That just seems like a dangerous situation,” said Councilor Sid Daoud.  

Hunter agreed that the current speed limits will be a problem that the Montana Department of Transportation, which oversees the highway, should address.  

“Trying to pursue rural highways in cities doesn’t work. It doesn’t work for our Main Street, it doesn’t work for our entrance corridors, and I want us to move away from it,” Hunter said.  

City Manager Jarod Nygren said that landscape buffers reduce highway noise, a common complaint from residents and business owners around Main Street. He added that past councils have long aimed to create green space at Kalispell’s entrances, so making design changes would require updating the city’s zoning regulations.   

Councilors also reviewed chapter six, which examined the natural environment in and around the city, including the 100-year flood plainon the east side of the city and riparian corridors like Ashley Creek and Stillwater River.  

The Montana Land Use Planning Act was passed by the 2023 state Legislature and is aimed at streamlining housing construction through restricting the public comment process on site-specific developments and instituting zoning and subdivision regulation reforms that promote high density.  

Council has held four meetings reviewing the document, which must be adopted by May 2026.  

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