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TRAMSACTIONS 31 BUSINESS IS PERSONAL 31 Business
For the Flathead Valley, A Big Year of Economic Development Awaits With an in ux of big projects and a stream of residential growth, the local economy is poised for a big year
IBY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
t seems tting that the two items atop the Kalispell City Council’s rst agenda for 2016 involve growth,
a word that is once again beginning to de ne the bustling Flathead Valley.
At its meeting on Jan. 4, the council reviewed a request from Silvermont Prop- erties to launch phase two of the Silver- brook Estates development on the north end of Kalispell o U.S. Highway 93. The developer is ready to move forward with building 197 single-family lots, 90 town- houses and 15 commercial building pads.
Silverbrook’s resurgence re ects the situation sweeping across the valley, where economic development contin- ued a noticeable upward trend in 2015 and appears likely to make more gains in 2016.
“From what I’m hearing out there, this year is going to be even more growth than last year. For me, I’m going to have a better year in 2016 than last year,” said Chad Gra- ham, a Kalispell city councilor and builder. “I think it’s going to be a busy year.”
From growth in residential real estate to a variety of industry sectors, bright signs of economic vitality can be found at all corners of the valley.
An in ux of state and federal funding is headed this way for the nal stage of the Kalispell bypass ($34 million) and launch of the city’s core area redevelopment plan and Glacier Rail Park ($10 million).
Just last week the governor’s o ce announced that Kidsports Complex was awarded $1.4 million for expansion.
Flathead Valley Community College is moving forward with a new 100-bed stu- dent housing facility that could cost $7 million to $9 million.
Crews work on the site of a future Hampton Inn & Suites on the south end of White sh. BEACON FILE PHOTO
and real estate industries to pick up the pace in 2016 as volumes, pricing, and jobs approach 2008 levels.”
A total of 325 new hotel rooms are under construction in the valley and should become available in 2016.
Based on a roundup of development statistics from across the valley, 2015 marked another year of substantial res- idential and commercial growth.
In Kalispell, the city issued permits to build 69 single-family homes, 12 town- houses, four duplexes and eight 12-unit apartment buildings. City sta members are still tallying commercial information but new growth was impossible to miss across the city, as the commercial devel- opment near Kidsports Complex begins to emerge with a new Marriot hotel and 250,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and hospitality space.
In White sh, the city issued per- mits to build 48 single-family homes, 12 duplexes/townhomes and two multi-fam- ily residences. The number of new homes being built was down from recent years; over 70 single-family permits were issued both of the last two years. But the num- ber of new townhomes/duplexes built in 2015 was as many as the past two years combined and the most in a single year since 2007.
On the commercial side, White sh saw the highest value of new development and renovation since 2005. The city issued permits for commercial projects valued at a total of $22.3 million from Janu- ary through December, according to the planning department.
The in ux of commercial growth includes a $9 million hotel being built in downtown and a $5.8 million Hampton Inn hotel emerging on the south end. Last
Kalispell Regional Healthcare added 30,000 square feet of medical space and spent nearly $4 million for development or renovations.
Immanuel Lutheran Communities is beginning a ve-year, $45 million expan- sion and renovation of its health care and living facilities in Kalispell.
“In 2015, the Flathead Valley hit its stride in a more sustained economic recovery and showed the trends that will carry us into the New Year,” Kalispell Chamber of Commerce President Joe Unterreiner said in an email breaking down the valley’s economy.
He added, “This past year, Kalispell continued its evolution as a trade center, supporting job growth in the higher wage paying sectors of healthcare, business,
and nancial services. Commercial and infrastructure improvements are a good indicator of future job growth.”
Kalispell has one of the fastest popula- tion growth rates in the state and its sta- tus as a tourist destination is gaining even more attention. Glacier National Park set a new annual visitation record last year, and industry analysts predict an even busier year in 2016 as the National Park Service celebrates its centennial.
Glacier Park International Airport set passenger records nearly every month and is poised to announce an all-time high for the year.
“These are all good signs for job growth in the tourism and hospitality industry,” Unterreiner said.
He added, “Look for the construction
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JANUARY 6, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM