Page 14 - Flathead Beacon // 12.14.16

NEWS
County Approves New Subdivision Along White sh Stage White sh River Trails is expected to contain 17 lots, with 16 for residential living
BY MOLLY PRIDDY OF THE BEACON
The Flathead County Commission approved the preliminary plat of a new subdivision planned along White sh Stage Road, north of Kalispell.
The White sh River Trails subdivi- sion will have 16 residential lots with one open-space lot, all built in four phases. Covering just over 63 acres, phases two through four of the subdivision intend to add about 60 acres of lots, with half an acre of common space. Phase one of the subdivision, which wasn’t part of the commissioners’ considerations, includes 5.3 acres and four lots.
Commissioners Gary Krueger and Phil Mitchell voted unanimously to approve
KALISPELL
City Annexes Land for Possible Apartment Complex
The Kalispell City Council annexed 3.79 acres along Airport Road and zoned the empty land to allow multi-family res- idential housing, opening the door for the potential development of an apartment complex.
The council voted unanimously on Dec. 5 to bring the open land in south Kalispell into city limits and zone it RA-1, which allows a limited density of residential development. Both actions followed the request of a local developer who would like to build an apartment complex on the 3.79-acre lot at the cor- ner of Airport Road and Teal Drive, an area that is poised for signi cant growth following the construction of a new ele- mentary school.
The city’s zoning would allow for 55 apartment units on the land, and David Weber, a Kalispell resident who is spear- heading the development, is expected to seek a conditional use permit for the com- plex. He previously pitched constructing ve three-story buildings with a total of 96 units, and then reduced it to 82.
The multi-family complex sparked resistance from the surrounding neigh- borhood and the city received a petition with 133 signatures opposed to zoning the land RA-2, which would allow for more than 80 units. Residents in the surround- ing neighborhood have raised concerns about density, congestion and privacy issues related to the three-story buildings.
The petition sought to have the land zoned RA-1 to reduce the size and scope
preliminary plat for the subdivision on Dec. 7. Commissioner Pam Holmquist was not present.
The Flathead County Planning Board recommended that the county commis- sion approve the project, with a couple of changes to the plat le. First, before the subdivision can be considered for nal plat, the developers need to have a com- pleted approach permit from the Mon- tana Department of Transportation for the approach of Mannington Road from White sh Stage.
This approach has proved to be a stick- ing point in public comment. During the planning board’s October meeting, Karl Rudbach, an attorney representing some of the neighbors to the planned subdivision,
of the complex. After revising his appli- cation, Weber presented the annexation and RA-1 zoning requests to the city’s planning board, which recommended approval of both.
Weber will next request a conditional use permit from the city to build the apartments. The planning board was slated to review the proposal at its Dec. 13 meeting after the Beacon went to print.
The apartment complex would be in the same area as the future elementary school, which is slated to break ground in spring 2017, as well as a 37-lot subdivi- sion 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 Alter- nate Route. The development is the ninth and nal phase of the subdivision that includes Ashley Park.
KALISPELL
City Implements Regulations on Short- Term Rentals
Kalispell approved new regulations on short-term rentals, implementing a cap on the number of homes in residen- tial zones in city limits that can be rented for under 30 days.
The city council voted 8-1 on Dec. 5 to establish new rules for vacation rentals, which have proliferated in recent years through websites such as Airbnb and VRBO. The council agreed to a 2-percent cap on all homes in residential zones. The 2-percent cap, based on U.S. Census data, e ectively limits the number of vacation rentals to roughly 200. Kalispell had
said the original approach permit for the subdivision was for 12 lots, not 21.
Rudbach also noted that the open space in the project is part of a conservation easement protecting it from development for the next 13 years. He said it was his interpretation that the policy behind clus- tering residential lots was to preserve land that wouldn’t be preserved otherwise.
Other neighbors were concerned about the clustering, saying there are several ways to determine how dense residential lots can be. Other concerns included increased tra c and further subdividing in the future.
In an attempt to assuage the density concerns, the planning board added a condition to the county planning sta ’s
nearly 40 last fall, according to research by city o cials. Among the requirements to operate a short-term rental in any zone, an owner must obtain an adminis- trative conditional use permit from the city, receive an inspection by the building department that meets safety standards and the county health department and receive a public accommodation license from the state. Owners are also required to check to ensure there are not any cov- enants that restrict short-term rentals in that area. The conditional use permit leads to the city notifying other property owners within 150 feet of the rental and allows for public comment.
City councilor Tim Kluesner said the cap would establish a base line for Kalis- pell and allow for possible modi cations in the future.
Councilor Rod Kuntz said the city was only focusing on the potential neg- ative side of short-term rentals instead of considering the bene ts. Short-term rentals rely on owners maintaining the property and keeping it clean and attrac- tive, which could improve neighbor- hoods, Kuntz said.
“In 20 years we should be so lucky to have (vacation rentals),” he said.
Councilor Kari Gabriel agreed with Kuntz, saying short-term rental own- ers “self police” themselves in order to attract visitors.
Councilor Chad Graham was the lone opposition, raising concerns about the rentals hurting the integrity of tradi- tional residential neighborhoods. He pro- posed an unsuccessful amendment that would only allow owners to rent their
report on the subdivision, saying a con- dition of approval must be a review of the density calculation by the county attor- ney’s o ce.
Krueger and Mitchell decided to do away with that condition, because such a review is already part of the process. Dep- uty County Attorney Tara Fugina said she had reviewed the current numbers, and that she can support the planning and zoning department’s density calculations.
Mitchell said this development has pitted neighbor against neighbor, some- thing he found troubling.
“This development has put me in a quandary of neighbors not getting along,” Mitchell said. “I do not appreciate it.”
mpriddy@ atheadbeacon.com
primary residence.
“I do think this is going to have a neg-
ative impact down the line for our neigh- borhoods,” he said.
“I’m kind of a believer of nipping it in the bud.”
WHITEFISH
In Latest Search, Five New Finalists Emerge for City Manager Position
Five new nalists have emerged in the latest search for a city manager in White sh.
The ve candidates will conduct in-person interviews with the White sh City Council and community and sta committees on Dec. 16. The council will meet in an executive session on either Dec. 16 or Dec. 19 to select the top choice, according to city o cials.
The city is interviewing a list of nal- ists for the second time since Chuck Stea- rns announced he would retire in early January after eight years as White sh’s chief administrative o cer. In Septem- ber, the council re-advertised the posi- tion after the top candidate declined the o er.
The latest nalists are: David Buck- ingham, the city manager in Morro Cay, California; Adam Hammatt, village administrator in Kimberly, Wisconsin; Evelyn Racette, former town manager of Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona; William Vajda, former city manager of Marquette, Michigan; and Matthew Vincent, chief executive o cer for Butte-Silver Bow City-County in Montana.
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DECEMBER 14, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM