The Kalispell City Council approved a conditional use permit for a 138-unit multifamily residential development on North Meridian Road, which the Montana Board of Housing awarded $4.78 million in federal housing tax credits for affordable housing.
The development, called Junegrass Place, will include seven buildings with dwelling units, a community building, greenspace, playgrounds and parking areas on almost 6 acres.
Junegrass Place is one of four projects that were awarded funding out of eight applicants statewide, and is part of Homeword, a Missoula-based organization that preserves, rehabilitates and builds new projects around Montana to create affordable developments.
“The people living here will be earning 50 to 60% of the area median income,” Homeword Executive Director Andrea Davis said at the meeting. “The income ranges are anything from $12 to $20 an hour. That’s a large group of folks that are living and working in Kalispell but meets a number of different employer concerns that we hear over and over again.”
There are 464 households on the Section 8 voucher waitlist, Davis said, but many vouchers go unused because participants cannot find affordable rentals that meet the voucher payment standards.
The council unanimously supported the project, but councilors Tim Kluesner and Kari Gabriel were concerned about increased traffic, which was also mentioned in public comment at a previous meeting.
“This project is great and I’m glad to see it … I want to echo the traffic concern and I just want to make sure we keep tabs on that,” Gabriel said.
“These are the types of projects I’m excited to see come into Kalispell,” Mayor Mark Johnson said. “I’ve been hoping to see one of these for a number of years and we’re finally getting one.”
The council also approved a conditional use permit for a multi-family residential development with up to 40 units on 1 acre and would include covered parking, a fitness center, sidewalks, an on-site trail system on U.S. Highway 2 west. A new Jiffy Lube and the incorporation of the Mudman building will be tied into the parking lot layout and traffic circulation and services.
“We’re proposing one-, two- and three-bedroom units varying in size and location to offer a broader range of affordable options for tenants,” said Mike Morgan, an architect with Hoffman Morgan & Associates. “We believe in quality environments.”
Oversized windows, private decks and a fitness center will also be included in the development.
“This feels like a different proposal than what we usually see … We’re addressing the need of infill and it’s a good location for multifamily,” Councilor Kyle Waterman said.
Separately, the council approved a final plat for a two-lot subdivision on Sixth Street West for four townhome units and an annexation of 8 acres and a planned unit development overlay at Bish’s RV.
The council also confirmed former Ward 3 city councilor Rod Kuntz, who also ran for council this year but lost to Jessica Dahlman, to the Flathead City-County Board of Health.
Mayor Johnson appointed Kuntz to the board, who will replace councilor Waterman, who served on the board for almost three years.
“Mr. Waterman I believe has done an admirable job for that number of years but as his term is finished on the council, we do have that opening … I want to recommend somebody not on the council for a number of reasons,” Johnson said.
Johnson cited the health board’s inconvenient meeting times, which are at 1 p.m., and his desire for the appointee to be “known to the council and known in the city.”
The council confirmed Kuntz’s appointment in a 7-2 vote, with councilors Ryan Hunter and Sid Daoud in opposition.
“I think Mr. Waterman has done a great job on the health board, especially during a difficult year last year and this year,” Hunter said. “I would like to see him continue with this consistency … I’m a little confused and disappointed by the process. I was hoping to have a discussion on the appointment.”
In an interview with the Beacon, City Manager Doug Russell said health board appointments have historically not been a controversial issue and qualifications are typically not discussed due to privacy matters.
“It has been a pleasure to serve,” Waterman said. “I think it has been important to have representation from somebody coming into the council to report on what is happening on the health board … (Being on the health board) for the last three years has been tumultuous.”