Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 11.23.16

NEWS
Developer Ditches Plans to Demolish Historic White sh Building Mick Ruis backs o development plans amid public outcry
BY BEACON STAFF
Plans to raze the Frank Lloyd Wright Building in White sh have been abandoned following public out- cry, according to the developer.
Mick Ruis told the White sh Pilot last week that he changed his mind and will not tear down the building on Central Avenue in downtown White sh. Ruis said the decision was made after the proposal, which became public earlier this week, sparked a negative reaction among community members who wished to see the his- toric site preserved.
Ruis said he would list the building for sale at $1.6 million, the same price he paid when he purchased it.
Ruis originally planned to replace the existing build- ing with a three-story structure featuring retail and o ce spaces and residential units. He told the Beacon his original motivation behind the development was to create jobs for the local economy, similar to his other investments in Columbia Falls, where he built the Cedar
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building at 341 Central Ave. in White sh.
GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Creek Lodge and Convention Center and is currently developing retail and housing projects in downtown.
The building, which until recently was home to the Morrison & Frampton law o ces, is among the only
Wright buildings in Montana and was one of the last he ever designed. Wright is one of America’s most famous architects and he designed more than 1,000 buildings before he died in 1959. In 1958, Wright designed the Lockridge Medical Center in White sh but passed away before it was completed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
“This is the most iconic building in White sh and to rip it down and ignore its history is a shame,” Northwest Montana Historical Society Executive Director Gil Jor- dan said before the decision not to demolish the building was announced.
George Gardner was on the White sh architectural committee until last year and echoed Jordan’s concerns about the historic structure being replaced.
“I think it’s a shame to tear down the only famous building in White sh. It makes no sense,” Gardner said. “This is among the last remaining Wright buildings in the state and that’s special.”
news@ atheadbeacon.com
Reduced Apartment Complex, Subdivision Planned in South Kalispell Kalispell hospital receives building permit for $37 million pediatric center
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
The arrival of winter isn’t slowing development plans across the Flathead Valley, including south Kalispell, where residential growth is popping up in antic- ipation of a new elementary school.
The city of Kalispell has received a preliminary plat application for a 37-lot subdivision featuring single-family homes. The development, called South Side Estates, would ll up an 8.8-acre tract of land south of Merganser Drive o Airport Road next to the U.S. Highway 93 Alternate Route. The development is the ninth and nal phase of the subdivi- sion that includes Ashley Park. The city’s planning board will review it at a Decem- ber meeting.
The Kalispell City Council is expected to review plans for a proposed apartment
complex in the same area along Airport Road. A local developer originally pitched a 96-unit complex on 3.79 acres but has said he would revise the proposal after neighborhood outcry emerged in oppo- sition to the three-story project, which requires annexation into city limits. Neighbors expressed concern about den- sity and tra c congestion issues related to the multi-family development.
The city’s planning board recently recommended approval of annexation and an RA-1 zoning for the project, which would limit the project to a maximum of 55 units. The planning board will review design standards for the newly fashioned project at a later meeting. The city coun- cil is expected to decide on the annex- ation and initial zoning requests at its Dec. 5 meeting, according to city sta .
Both residential projects re ect
heightened attention in an area gain- ing a signi cant redevelopment driver in the form of a new elementary school. The Kalispell school district received voter approval this fall of a bond to build a new facility, which is expected to break ground next summer along Airport Road.
Through November, Kalispell has issued building permits for 135 single family and duplex units compared to 64 a year ago.
Other signi cant development proj- ects are moving forward as well, primar- ily the 164,691-square-foot pediatric cen- ter on the Kalispell Regional Healthcare campus. The city of Kalispell recently issued a building permit for the $37 mil- lion project, which is emerging at 310 Sunny View Lane. The large new addition to the Kalispell Regional campus is slated to open in spring 2018.
In White sh, the city is reviewing a proposal to build a 22-lot subdivision on a 4.7-acre lot along Colorado Avenue that is zoned for single-family homes and duplexes. The planning board rec- ommended approval of the subdivision, called Cottonwood Estates, which sits on empty property. As part of its stipula- tions, the planning board recommended the developer put in a homeowners asso- ciation park as green space. The city council is expected to review the pro- posal at its Dec. 5 meeting.
A 60-unit apartment complex featur- ing ve buildings o U.S. Highway 93 South near the new Hampton Inn is sur- facing and is expected to be completed by spring. Across the road, a new subdi- vision near Les Schwab with a new road and hotel is breaking ground.
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
TIRE MAIL-IN REBATE*
*See dealer for details on rebate. Rebate Expires: Nov 30, 2016
ON SELECT SETS OF FOUR TIRES:
$70 on Michellin and $50 on BF Goodrich, Firestone, Dunlap & General
Certi ed Service
www.eisingermotors.com
Hwy 93 N & Reserve, Kalispell • 406-755-5555 • Open Mon - Fri 7am to 6pm • Sat. 8am to 5pm
12
NOVEMBER 23, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
UP TO
$ 100
+ BEST PRICE GUARANTEE!