Kalispell council annexes Reserve at Johnson Ranch, approves zoning, preliminary plat; requires pedestrian beacon

Kalispell City Council on Aug. 4 voted to annex about 91.8 acres known as the Reserve at Johnson Ranch and approved a package of land‑use actions — a growth policy amendment, initial zoning with a PUD overlay, and a preliminary plat — that together clear the way for up to 493 dwelling units and a neighborhood commercial node near Glacier High School.

The package the council approved comprises Resolution No. 62‑68 (growth policy amendment), Resolution No. 62‑69 (annexation), Ordinance No. 1940 (creation of a Reserve at Johnson Ranch PUD and zoning changes), and Resolution No. 62‑70 (conditional approval of the preliminary plat). Council also adopted a separate condition, added during ordinance and plat consideration, requiring a rapid‑flashing pedestrian beacon at the crossing from the proposed northern park area to address safety concerns.

The proposal, submitted by Spartan Holdings and Whispering Trails LLC, would reclassify portions of the site as high‑density residential, urban residential and a roughly 10‑acre neighborhood commercial area. The preliminary plat shows 186 single‑family lots, two multifamily lots (one with 237 units, another up to 70 units) and a single commercial lot, for a possible total of up to 493 dwelling units on roughly 92 acres. Staff said the commercial node is proposed as a 10‑acre B‑1 neighborhood business area with a maximum combined building footprint of about 110,000 square feet and a 40,000‑square‑foot neighborhood grocery as the…