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Stevensville council debates parking near Kodiak Jacks as residents and members press for alternatives
Summary
Public commenters and council members clashed over parking along Main Street by Kodiak Jacks and the Big Sky Dog House after staff signaled possible removal of curbside spaces for safety. Councilors said they are seeking alternatives but gave no final vote to remove parking.
Public comments and a later council discussion on Nov. 14 focused on curbside parking used by a Main Street coffee shop and adjacent businesses, with residents urging the council not to remove customer spaces and council members citing safety and line-of-sight crashes.
Resident Pierre told the council he was “fully aware” of traffic challenges but urged the body not to take away parking that supports Kylie’s business, saying he did not “wanna see, like, the parking capability taken away from Kylie and her business there.” Jim Cruz submitted a written public comment and asked the council to play a short video he produced; in that statement he wrote, “There is plenty of parking on either side of the road before and after the proposed no parking area,” and asked the town to show the video to the public.
The council’s subsequent discussion centered on safety at a curve near the business. Mayor Haileyson said she and staff had tried to contact the business owner and that the town was “in the process of” addressing the problem but had not announced a removal of parking: “I did not say we're taking your parking away. I did say we're in the process of it. I did say we were willing to work with you.” Council members described examining alternatives, including use of a nearby museum lot, checking a parcel behind the building, repainting crosswalks, and shortening the parking area to improve sight lines.
Councilor Parker criticized how staff first informed the business and urged a more personal approach, saying the move “could have been done a little bit easier or a little bit nicer by meeting with the business owner in person instead of over a phone conversation.” Other council members and town staff said they have visited the site, photographed conditions and discussed possible short-term and longer-term options with the owner’s family and managers.
Officials said safety drives the effort. The mayor and police staff described at least one previous collision at that curve; in the council’s account, drivers rounding the curve from the north can see parked cars on one side but not on the other, and pedestrians exiting vehicles may step into traffic. Town staff said they marked off a 500-foot area while evaluating options and will pursue a combination of engineering and parking solutions to reduce liability and improve visibility.
No formal council vote to remove curbside parking at that location is recorded in the Nov. 14 transcript. Councilors asked staff to continue outreach and to bring options back for council consideration, including repainted crosswalks, possible rearranged parking, and continued talks with the business owner and property owners about off-street options.
The matter is expected to return to the council’s agenda once staff reports back with concrete alternatives and any required traffic-engineering recommendations.
