Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 4.2.14

14 | APRIL 2, 2014 NEWS FLATHEADBEACON.COM

A view of south of Kalispell from Lone Pine State Park. BEACON FILE PHOTO

Kalispell Turns its Attention South

City to update urban how to best incorporate growth into the its current and future status.
lic scoping, Russell said.
fabric of the community.”
Russell and others agreed that by up-
“That’s the value of the plan, it’s a
renewal plan and Last week’s work session inside City dating the vision for south Kalispell, the community-driven process, so it lends
identify potential Hall was solely devoted to the southern community could arrive at a clearer un- validity to that long-term efort,” Rus-
entrance of Kalispell and the area’s ur- derstanding of what it wants to do with sell said.
economic opportunities ban renewal plan, which was formed the 84-year-old airport.
Councilor Kari Gabriel raised con-

in southern gateway
nearly 20 years ago as a guiding docu- “I think it’s time to inquire within cerns over ongoing safety issues, partic-
ment for redevelopment goals.
the community on the south end of Ka- ularly the nearby radio towers that the
Now that the 1996 plan has achieved lispell, if the airport stays or if it goes, city has identiied as a hazard for planes.
By DILLON TABISH of the Beacon
its primary goals, particularly the re- what happens long term?” Mayor Mark The process of developing an updat-
location of the ballields to Kidsports Johnson said, adding, “Does it make ed urban renewal plan could take years,
The north end of Kalispell remains Complex, Russell is proposing to cre- sense to change the direction of the air- she said.
a bustling tract of economic activity, as ate a new blueprint that would identify port and ind an alternate use of that “What are we going to do now to get
six new large commercial developments all possible options in the area, rallying property?”
that airport at a point where it’s safe,

and multiple smaller ones are poised to municipal resources and heavy com- Those answers, and others connect- currently and in the very near future?”
break ground in the near future. The munity and stakeholder input, similar ed to development on the south end, she said.
downtown has a chance to evolve into a to how the recent Core Area Redevelop- would be best found with extensive pub-
Russell said the city would decide
redeveloped core area with the help of a ment Plan came together.
what safety upgrades and other main-
new ambitious vision that could unfold The proposal drew strong interest tenance items would be included in the
in the coming years. And now the city’s from the city council, and Russell said he “DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO iscal budget for the airport, which is be-
south entrance is gaining attention, with would begin the process by meeting with ing maintained by contractor Red Eagle
CHANGE THE DIRECTION OF
city oicials revisiting a far-reaching the Urban Renewal Agency for a launch- Aviation.
plan for urban renewal opportunities in ing point.
THE AIRPORT AND FIND AN In many ways, the south end of Ka-
the prominent gateway that funnels U.S. By turning its attention to the south, lispell has largely been overshadowed in
Highway 93 from Flathead Lake into the the city council would be forced to ad- ALTERNATE USE OF THAT recent years by the booming economic
heart of Kalispell.
dress a thorny subject with an uncertain emergence on the north side and re-
“It’s a very exciting time. We’re look- future: the municipal airport. The fate PROPERTY?”
newed efort on downtown’s vitality.
ing at all these things coming together of the controversial site has been in lim- But now that the U.S. 93 Alternate
and there’s so much work being done bo since voters shot down a host of pro- Route is inally materializing and ap-
Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson
for the future,” said City Manager Doug posed upgrades in November, creating proaching completion, the prominent
Russell. “We’re preparing ourselves for
more questions than answers related to
role of the south entrance is returning to