Columbia Falls council approves annexation, PUD and preliminary plat for 274 Meadowlake Boulevard

The Columbia Falls City Council on a split vote approved annexation, a planned unit development (PUD) with deviations and a preliminary plat for a 20‑unit subdivision at 274 Meadowlake Boulevard.

City planning staff told the council the project proposes 10 duplex townhome lots (20 units) on a currently vacant, wooded parcel and requires initial city zoning after annexation. The staff packet combined annexation, PUD and preliminary‑plat findings and recommended approval with 30 conditions; the planning commission reviewed the application and added three conditions after a two‑hour discussion.

Planner (name on file with the city) said the project "meets all 12" annexation and zoning evaluation criteria and that city sewer is available to the parcel but the water main would need extension. He described the requested deviations: a 10‑foot rear setback instead of 20 feet, a 15‑foot front setback instead of 20 feet (with a required 20 feet between garage face and sidewalk), and a private road cross‑section reduced to a 34‑foot easement with a 24‑foot paved roadway and 5‑foot sidewalks.

Darren Fisher, chair of the Columbia Falls Planning Commission, said the commission debated setbacks and parking for 30–45 minutes and ultimately left the requested deviations in place because the commission considered the layout "the most creative way to get dense housing into this area." He said the commission unanimously recommended approval and added conditions to address short‑term rentals, sidewalk elevation and privacy screening.

Developer Tony Gilchrist said the design aims to "maximize density on the space with the cost of the infrastructure" and to provide units suited to first‑time homebuyers. Aaron Wallace of Montana Creative described the smaller lots and said shrinking unit footprints helps reduce infrastructure and housing costs.

Planning conditions included: - Prohibit short‑term rentals under 30 days in CC&Rs and on the plat (condition 28). - Elevate sidewalks 6 inches above the roadway to separate pedestrians from vehicles (condition 21). - Install a 6‑foot solid privacy fence on the back of each lot along the north and south property boundaries (condition 30). - Three guest parking spaces and on‑site recreational amenities located near the hammerhead turn to preserve emergency access.

An engineer from NH Engineering said the sewer plan will include a lift station and an underground holding tank to store sewage during a power outage; he described it as a closed system and said it would not connect to a drain field. City and consultant engineering review found the existing force main serving the area appears to have remaining capacity; Carver Engineering calculations show about 275 gallons per minute of available capacity under current conditions, per the project's engineer.

Public commenters urged additional environmental and wildfire protections and raised neighborhood concerns. A resident who identified themselves as representing the nearby homeowners association thanked the commission for the short‑term rental prohibition and asked the city to require tree replacement for mature trees removed during development. The commenter noted a 2019 study showing regional declines in bird populations and urged mitigation of cumulative habitat loss and fire‑wise construction.

Neighbor Chris Smith, who lives at 268 Miller Boulevard, said his fence line abuts the parcel and asked the developer to avoid heavy pruning that would leave "butched" trees; he also asked where the holding tank would sit relative to his well.

Council discussion focused on pedestrian connectivity. Councilors and staff debated whether to require a permanent, ADA‑compliant sidewalk on the west side of Meadowlake Boulevard or to accept a primitive/gravel path built when the developer extends the water main. The council elected to keep the conditions as drafted: the developer can use cash‑in‑lieu for sidewalk construction and the city will direct how that money is spent; condition language ties a primitive path to the water main extension and allows the city discretion on final improvements.

Votes at a glance: - Ordinance 831 (Annexation of 274 Meadowlake Boulevard): Approved by roll call; Councilor King voted No; Councilors Robinson, Levering, Piper, Price and Mayor Barnhart voted Aye. Outcome: approved. - Ordinance 832 (Initial zoning / PUD for 274 Meadowlake Boulevard): Approved by roll call, 4–2. Councilors King and Price voted No; Councilors Laverne/Levering, Piper, Robinson and Mayor Barnhart voted Aye. Outcome: approved. - Resolution 1935 (Preliminary plat for 274 Meadowlake Boulevard): Approved by roll call, 4–2. Councilors Price and King voted No; Councilors Levering, Piper, Robinson and Mayor Barnhart voted Aye. Outcome: approved.

Council and staff said the ordinances do not require a second reading and that the next steps are final engineering, recording of required documents and compliance with the 30 conditions attached to the approvals. Several neighbors asked city staff to ensure clear documentation of where the holding tank and lift station will be located and to verify setbacks relative to existing wells.

The council hearing included detailed planning materials and three public comment speakers. The planning commission's record and the staff report are part of the city file for the project; staff will monitor the developer's engineering submittals for the lift station, water main extension and path/sidewalk design.