Kalispell Chamber Launches Coalition to Unify Vision for Downtown’s Future
The Downtown Forward Coalition seeks to repair divisions that emerged among downtown businesses over plans to improve the safety of Main Street
By Zoë Buhrmaster
Local business leaders walked through the thick fog that blanketed Kalispell’s downtown on Thursday afternoon with a two-fold mission: thank local business owners for contributing to downtown’s vitality and ask them to take a brief survey. They’re part of a new coalition out of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce, dubbed the Downtown Forward Coalition.
The coalition creation comes after the chamber and some local businesses stood divided on a proposed plan to overhaul Main Street as part of the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, chamber CEO Lorraine Clarno said. The chamber supported the downtown redesign; however, the project came to a halt in June when city councilors voted not to apply for the next grant in the program after hearing negative feedback from local business owners and community members.
“We decided based on feedback, rumblings, based on the Safe Streets for All outcome that occurred at our city council and so forth, that folks were pretty disconnected and having different feelings,” Clarno said.
So, the chamber convened six organizations — the chamber, the Kalispell Business Improvement District, the Kalispell Tourism Improvement District, the Kalispell Downtown Association, Flathead Building Association, and the Northwest Montana Association of REALTORS. Together, they began building out a blueprint for the future of downtown.
“The complete and only purpose of it is to support our local merchants, property owners, and try and build out a blueprint for the future, for what needs to be done for the heart of our community,” Clarno said.
The four-phase strategy includes advocating for new infrastructure downtown, improving communication with local businesses, turning the city center into a daily destination with year-round engagement, and encouraging more public art and mixed-use development downtown. It’s a “work in progress” and they plan to adjust the blueprint based on the feedback they receive, Clarno said.
The coalition is currently in phase two of the action plan — building out the blueprint with community feedback — a process that included Thursday’s “business walk.”
Karlene Khor runs Seasons, a boutique with high-end brands and vintage wares situated on Main Street. She’s worried about what the construction process of a downtown redesign would do to small businesses like hers, noting the way smaller construction jobs have affected her retail shop in the past by diverting would-be customers to the sidewalk on the other side of the road.
“I think there is a disconnect sometimes with the retail businesses and the Chamber,” Khor said. “You still have to go to the bank no matter what. But if you want to shop … it’s supposed to be an enjoyable experience. It’s not enjoyable to walk through a construction site to find a dress.”
Khor said she appreciated members of the chamber dropping by on Thursday and planned to fill out the five-minute online survey.
On Friday, Claron said that the teams walking around downtown returned with largely positive feedback to the chamber’s efforts.
“Folks were very positive about the energy and direction we are trying to head,” she said.