Riverside parkland for sale in Col. Falls

A small strip of land along the Flathead River in Columbia Falls is up for sale.

The homeowners association for Riverview Estates, a subdivision east of the Montana Veterans Home, owns a strip of land 30 by 286 feet along Riverwood Drive that originally was required for parkland as part of the subdivision approval by the Flathead County commissioners in 1981, according to city legal documents.

Although there is a primitive path leading to the river, the land was never developed as a river access because of a steep drop-off to the river, Columbia Falls City Manager Susan Nicosia said.

Columbia Falls Planner Eric Mulcahy estimated the drop-off to the river is about 40 feet. The small piece of land for sale is not a buildable lot, he added.

When Riverwood Estates was annexed into the city of Columbia Falls in 2003, the city took ownership of Riverwood Drive and has since maintained it. City water and sewer lines were extended into the subdivision last summer and as a result, the homeowners association is no longer necessary and intends to sell the strip of parkland between Riverwood Drive and the Flathead River, Nicosia said.

The city doesn’t want the land, she said. However, because it was a plat requirement as a parkland dedication, the city is obligated to hold a public hearing on the matter. Oftentimes in these kinds of cases, Nicosia said, an adjacent property owner will purchase the land.

Any private development along the river such as a boat ramp, infill or staircase, would be subject to a variety of permitting processes, depending on the scope of the project, according to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman Dillon Tabish.

The Columbia Falls City Council will hold a public hearing on the proposal at 7 p.m. Monday, April 2, at Columbia Falls City Hall.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.