Board considers 330-space RV park
A 330-space recreational-vehicle park proposed for a 50-acre lot at the south end of Kalispell is coming before the city’s Planning Board tonight.
The proposed lot is currently undeveloped, with the Great Northern Historical bike trail running along the western and southern boundary, and a Montana Department of Transportation bike trail running along the northern boundary, which separates it from the U.S. 93 bypass. A line extending south from the southernmost roundabout would approximate the park’s eastern border and it would extend south all the way to Ashley Meadows Road.
The developers have offered to add fencing and trees along the border to mask the development.
The tract has been planned for urban residential use, and to make this happen the developers need the city to change it to urban mixed-use zoning. They also need the city to annex 4.27 acres and include that land in the zoning amendment. The remainder of the property was annexed in 2008.
The two Florida-based developers behind the project, Montana Basecamp, Inc. and Basecamp Outpost LLC, said the location at the south end of town was ideal because of its proximity to both the amenities of downtown and the bike path that spans from the proposed site to the downtown area and on to Kila.
Application documents also states the developers intend to attract high-end clientele interested in staying at a place with opportunity for exercise, alluding again to the nearby bike paths and hiking opportunities across the valley.
The proposal has already garnered some negative and cautious feedback from the public.
“Please, please, please do not approve the 50-acre RV park,” reads one comment submitted to city officials. “While we are willing to share the bike path, the hiking trails and even Flathead Lake, we don’t want to be over-run by ‘high-end, physically fit clientele.’”
Another letter submitted by the Ashley Meadows Homeowners Association said that while the association thought the park was generally a good fit, it did want some stipulations included. Among those were restricting the months the RV park could operate from April through October, and rules that would make sure there was no permanent, year-round campers. They felt such occurrences would negatively impact their property values.
The project would be constructed in five phases. The first would consist of 62 spaces. If approved, it would be the first RV park to gain approval within Kalispell city limits, according to the staff report.
THE BOARD will also hold a public hearing on a proposal for the construction of two four-plex units that Kalispell-based developer Edge, LLC wants to install at 21 Appleway Drive.
The buildings would be two stories with a 1,920-square-foot footprint each. Plans for the lot include over 8,000 square feet of communal recreation area and space for parking and walkways around the 0.39-acre property.
The proposed lot is on the west end of town, just east of the confluence of the U.S. 93 bypass and U.S. 2. Kalispell Planning Department staff indicated that it fits the prescribed growth policy for that part of town and recommended approval.
The Planning Board meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at 201 1st Ave. East in Kalispell.
Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.