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Commission recommends North Meadows conditional‑use permit despite strong neighborhood opposition
Summary
After extended public comment, the Kalispell Planning Commission on Aug. 12 voted 5–1 to recommend approval of KCU‑25‑04, a conditional‑use permit for a 99‑unit multifamily development called North Meadows; neighbors raised safety, traffic, flooding and slope‑stability concerns that commissioners and staff discussed at length.
The Kalispell Planning Commission voted Aug. 12 to recommend approval (by a 5–1 roll call) of KCU‑25‑04, the conditional‑use permit for the North Meadows multifamily development, a proposal for seven buildings totaling 99 units off Bluestone Drive and South Meadows Drive.
The item had been tabled at the commission’s July meeting pending supplemental materials; staff and the applicant returned Aug. 12 with an updated packet that included an addendum to the traffic impact study, a geotechnical report and other information. Staff and the applicant emphasized measures intended to reduce neighborhood impacts: the project is proposed as two‑story buildings under a 35‑foot height limit (rather than three stories), setbacks along the western edge were increased to about 35 feet (from 5–10 feet in earlier plans), and a landscape/open‑space plan preserves buffers and internal paths.
Traffic and safety were the dominant issues in public comment. The applicant’s traffic consultant reported Bluestone Drive currently carries roughly 1,000 average daily trips and the full build‑out of North Meadows would add about 500 daily trips to Bluestone, bringing the estimated average annual daily traffic to about 1,500. Residents said the counts understate neighborhood conditions because counts were taken beyond the dog park and ball fields that generate concentrated summer traffic; neighbors also said Bluestone lacks sidewalks and is used as a neighborhood cut‑through with high speeds. Several speakers urged additional traffic calming, sidewalks or a second access and some requested the commission delay action until counts taken during the school year could be evaluated.
Geotechnical safety and creek‑bank stability prompted extensive public testimony. The applicant presented a site‑specific geotechnical report that included about a dozen borings to depths between roughly 10 and 35–40 feet, foundation and drainage recommendations, and a slope‑stability analysis that staff said recommended building setbacks greater than 30 feet from the top of slope. The applicant’s geotechnical representative, Toby McIntosh of Jekola Engineering, said the report meets typical standards for multifamily permit submittals and provided recommendations on foundation preparation, imported fill and slope stability. Neighbors cited recent slope failures on Rimrock Court and asked for multi‑season geotechnical data and assurances that adjacent yards and foundations would not be destabilized by construction.
Staff recommended approval conditioned on standard engineering and mitigation requirements, and noted anticipated mitigation measures include water and sewer mains extended by the developer, public‑works review of drainage and the requirement that the project meet city design and construction standards. Staff also identified a preliminary impact fee estimate (about $414,000) to cover city service impacts.
During deliberations commissioners asked for clarification about traffic methodology, geotechnical setbacks and emergency access. The fire code requires certain access and suppression standards for multifamily construction; staff said final building permits and fire‑department review will confirm compliance with fire‑safety requirements and that multifamily buildings will likely include fire suppression systems.
After discussion, Commissioner [roll call recorded] moved to adopt staff findings and recommend approval of the conditional‑use permit subject to the published conditions. The roll call was recorded as: Joshua Borgart (aye), Kate Walker (aye), Pip Burke (aye), Shelby Lecron (no), Doug Kaufman (yes), Chad Graham (aye). The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration on Sept. 2.
Neighbors who testified raised recurring themes: safety for pedestrians and children, traffic and speed on Bluestone Drive, the potential for construction traffic damage to local streets and the creek corridor, and concerns that recent slope failures indicate a higher geotechnical risk than the applicant’s materials show. The applicant and staff said they will continue engineering review at the permit stage and that the conditional‑use permit includes standard conditions to address drainage, utilities and site design.
