Council OKs 90-acre annexation, subdivision

Kalispell City Council approved a proposal to annex 89.4 acres of undeveloped land between Three Mile Drive and Two Mile drive along West Springcreek Road at their meeting Monday night.

The developer, R. Ranch Developments LLC, requested the city zone the area with a mixture of R-3 and B-1 zones, which would allow for a 48-lot residential subdivision. The council approved the requested zoning and preliminary plans for the subdivision.

The development is planned to contain 203 single-family lots and 26 townhouse lots for 229 total housing units. There will also be 3.2 acres with a mixture of commercial space, a park, dog park and RV parking storage.

At the meeting, City Council members complimented many aspects of the plan, particularly the RV storage facility, which was on land that can’t hold permanent structures because it is under a Bonneville Power Administration easement.

It was lauded as a smart use of land that would allow RV owners to store these vehicles in this common area rather than on their property. The master plan shows a 0.6-acre strip of land wrapping around the RV storage site that will be landscaped to obscure views with a 5-foot fence.

Councilman Tim Kluesner suggested the fence should be higher.

“Not all RVs are really, really pretty,” Kluesner said.

Planning Director Tom Jentz said fences weren’t particularly pretty either, and because of the power company easement, encouraging permanent structures higher than 5 feet wasn’t advisable.

The project will be conducted in five phases, with four phases of residential development coming first and the final phase containing the mixed-use commercial development in the northwest corner of the property near the intersection of Three Mile Drive and West Springcreek Road.

The Kalispell Planning Board had previously recommended approval of the project. The City Council approved the annexation, zoning and preliminary plans unanimously. Councilors Wayne Saverud and Kyle Waterman were both absent from the meeting.

Mayor Mark Johnson arrived about 20 minutes after the meeting began and councilor Rod Kuntz had to leave before the meeting ended, which spanned about two hours.

Reporter Peregrine Frissell can be reached at (406) 758-4438 or pfrissell@dailyinterlake.com.