Towers on the Parkline Trail

As housing demand continues to outpace supply in the Flathead, developers based out of Missouri are working to add hundreds of units around the valley, with plans to break ground on a third development, the Parkline Towers, this spring in Kalispell.

After Greenway Development Group brought 180 units of workforce housing to Columbia Falls with The Highline Apartments and 180 more units to Kalispell with The Meridian Apartments, which is scheduled for completion this year, the Parkline Towers will bring 224 units on 5 acres. Located on E. Idaho Street on the east end of the Parkline Trail, the development will replace the former Rygg Ford car dealership.

The Parkline Towers will be two four-story L-shaped buildings with 512-square-foot one-bedroom studios, which are nontraditional studio apartments with a barrier between the bedroom and living area, and 836-square-foot two-bedroom and 1,122-square-foot three-bedroom units.

There will also be additional amenities, including a dog park, co-working spaces on every floor, balconies, fitness centers and rooftop patios in each building. A pavilion and seating area will serve as communal space outside, and stairs will be constructed that will connect to the Parkline Trail.

“I think the trail is awesome,” Greenway Development Group Managing Partner Brent Brown said. “It’s something that everybody can use and enjoy, and we want a way to connect our residents.”

The Parkline Towers’ design will be different from the previous two projects, Brown said, which will include an additional story, 44 more units, elevators and three-bedroom units instead of only studios, one-bedroom and two-bedrooms units.

Brown says the design has changed in the last year after working with the city architectural review committee.

“We wanted this particular property to be done right,” Brown said. “It’s an entry point on that side of the city and it’s elevated and very visible. It will not look like The Highline or The Meridian – this will be a more modern and contemporary design and the materials will look different.”

Historically, Brown has chosen properties that are already zoned for multi-family housing, which he said has removed barriers and speeds up the development process.

“They’re appropriately zoned,” Brown said. “We don’t have to go through and re-zone – if the zoning is adequate for multi-family, that makes the process go quicker. You still have to go through the city but it’s less tedious and time consuming.”

Working with Kalispell’s city planners has gone smooth, Brown said, and he said there’s been wide support to develop the former Rygg Ford property because it’s in an Opportunity Zone, which provides federal tax incentives.

Brown will continue to work with the city through the winter to finalize the Parkline Towers’ plans, and construction is estimated to begin next April and finish at the end of 2024.

Crews are currently disassembling the metal building that occupied the property while it was a car dealership, which Brown said was sold to a private buyer who plans to reconstruct it elsewhere in the valley.

Rent costs for the Parkline Towers are a “moving target” at this point, Brown said, with the economic climate, interest rates and costs of labor and materials causing uncertainty in rates. But he hopes to continue bringing affordable housing to the Flathead Valley.

“We always had intentions of doing more than one development rather than just the one in Columbia Falls,” Brown said. “It creates efficiencies with construction and development, and we love the Flathead Valley … I think our vision with any market is if what we do fits there and is there a need. The answer continues to be yes and as long as that’s the case we plan to continue providing affordable housing.”

For more information, visit www.greenwaydevelopments.com.