Kalispell embarks on new journey

It’s a pivotal time for the heart of Kalispell.

Anyone who attended the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday and got the latest update about plans to redevelop the city’s core area no doubt came away with a good feeling about Kalispell’s future.

The ever-zealous and upbeat Kalispell Planning Director Tom Jentz created an air of excitement as he laid out the details of an urban revitalization plan that has been years in the making.

The Kalispell Core Area Revitalization is finally making the move from plan to reality. Dirt work has been underway at the Glacier Rail Park for some time, and construction of the business park is expected to commence this summer. A deal reached in January between Northwest Drywall and the Flathead County Economic Development Authority that allows the company to move to the rail park cleared the way for removal of the railroad tracks in downtown Kalispell. CHS, the other rail user, earlier had agreed to relocate.

The tracks should be gone in about two years or so, and that sets the stage for the redevelopment of 40 acres along the rail line, which will itself become a pedestrian trail. Special zoning already approved for the core area eliminates height restrictions, parking requirements and setbacks, and allows multifamily housing as a permitted use. It’s a planning tool that will give businesses the flexibility they need as the area is redeveloped.

One big piece of the puzzle yet to be resolved is the U.S. 93 couplet around the county courthouse at the south end of Main Street. City officials favor a plan to slow down traffic through downtown, but the Montana Department of Transportation’s long-approved preferred option calls for four lanes through downtown. Stay tuned on this issue, because the decision will either create a busy highway thoroughfare through the city or, if Kalispell gets its way, will take a step back and offer a more pedestrian-friendly Main Street.

Yes, it’s an exciting time for Kalispell, not only for present and future business owners in the city’s core, but for everyone who spends time in our fair city.