Kalispell Planning Commission Reviews Proposed 95-Home Affordable Housing Development Off Highway 93 Bypass

A proposed development could provide Kalispell with more affordable housing located just off the U.S Highway 93 bypass. The project, Birchwood Planned Unit Development (PUD), is a large residential complex by Habitat for Humanity of Flathead Valley in partnership with private developers to create a mixed income community of homeowners.

The development would include 95 single family homes, including townhomes, single family residences and cottages, with home prices likely ranging from $350,000 to $800,000, Habitat’s Executive Director MaryBeth Morand said during a Kalispell Planning Commission work session on the project Tuesday evening.

“To be clear, about 30 of the homes in this development will be Habitat,” Morand said. “But there is a significant affordable component and that’s part of our partnership with the private sector developers.”

The 21-acre parcel of land is situated between Northland Drive and the U.S. Highway 93 Alternative, south of Four Mile Drive. Habitat for Humanity bought the property in an auction from the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) last year.

Morand described the development as an opportunity to “co-build neighborhoods” with private developers, with Habitat acquiring the land below market value and selling lots to private developers that agree to offer affordability tools to homebuyers such as buying down mortgage interest rates. The Birchwood development does not include long- or short-term rentals.

During the work session, planning commission members and city staff reviewed the development’s annexation, initial zoning, and PUD framework.

The geotechnical report prepared by engineers at Alpine Geotechnical, LLC found that the property presents significant concerns for design and construction due to its use as a fill site for MDT during the construction of the U.S. 93 bypass. Due to the site’s topography and existing conditions, the report notes that significant engineering considerations will need to be made related to fill management, foundation design, roadway construction, and grading.

Because of the site’s proximity to the bypass, a noise analysis also recommends construction of an eight foot sound wall and berm to mitigate highway sounds.

City planner Donnie McBath noted that while the geotechnical and noise concerns will need to be addressed, none of the reports included flaws fatal for the project.

The proposal also includes several deviation requests, including no road connections to the east or west property line, allowance for the alley to provide primary access to lots that front on shared yards, and smaller lot sizes.

“You can do that because of those shared front yards,” Director of Development Services PJ Sorensen said, referencing the smaller lot sizes and alleyway access. “You just get a lot more houses on that same street frontage with this type of configuration.”  

During public comment, several residents living off Northland Drive including commission member Cate Walker said they were concerned about impacts from increased traffic on the drive, which is estimated to generate 1,014 average trips per day, according to a traffic impact study.

“This is a neighborhood that has a lot of kids, and you know, mine is one of them,” Walker said. “It’s a little concerning that we’re going to add another thousand trips on this road every day.”  

City staff said there is a third party analysis on the traffic impact study currently in the works. The development will come before the planning commission with requested materials for a public hearing on July 14.

In future meetings, staff will review the subdivision, engineering, parkland and utilities, per the city’s recently adopted land use plan established by the Montana Land Use Planning Act (MLUPA). The proposal is one of the first major developments to make its way through the new reviewal process.

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