Planning commission backs Reserve at Johnson Ranch growth‑policy change, annexation, PUD and preliminary plat

The Kalispell City Planning Commission on June 10 recommended that the City Council approve a growth policy map amendment, annexation, planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat for the Reserve at Johnson Ranch, a proposed mixed residential and neighborhood commercial development near the intersection of Old Reserve Drive and Stillwater Road.

The project, submitted by Spartan Holdings LLC and Whispering Trails LLC (files KGPA‑25‑01, KA‑25‑01, KPUD‑25‑01 and KPP‑25‑01), covers about 91.8 acres and would include up to 186 single‑family lots, two multifamily parcels (one with 237 units and one with up to 70 units), and a single commercial lot. The applicant proposed a 10‑acre neighborhood commercial B‑1 node with a 40,000‑square‑foot grocery as part of a maximum 110,000 square feet of building footprint for the commercial area, and a north–south 10‑foot path linking the site. Staff said the high‑density component would be allowed up to 20 units per acre and estimated the multifamily area at about 15.9 units per acre; the urban residential component allows up to 12 units per acre.

Staff recommended approval after finding changed circumstances supporting a growth policy amendment, including recent infrastructure additions (the bypass and West Side interceptor sewer) and adjacent development such as Westview, Starling and other nearby projects. Staff emphasized that the proposed neighborhood commercial area is larger than typical (10 acres versus the 3–5 acres generally recommended in the Kalispell West Neighborhood Plan) and recommended an elevated architectural and landscape design through the PUD conditions to keep the node neighborhood‑scale.

During discussion commissioners asked about grades and park design; staff said a stormwater facility will be retained in a common area and the final park layout and recreational amenities will be determined during subdivision and site review. A member of the public, Keith Regier of 1078 Stillwater Road, raised safety concerns about Stillwater Road’s 90‑degree jogs, heavy gravel‑truck traffic and a drainage depression at the corner adjacent to his property; staff and commissioners noted the project’s traffic impact study (TIS) recommends reserving right‑of‑way for future roundabouts at two 90‑degree turns on Stillwater Road and that MDT approval would be required for approaches to Highway 93 and Reserve Drive.

The commission voted by roll call to recommend the growth policy amendment, to recommend annexation with initial city zoning of R‑3 (residential), RA‑1 (residential apartment) and B‑1 (neighborhood business) with a PUD overlay, and to recommend approval of the Reserve at Johnson Ranch PUD and preliminary plat subject to the conditions in staff reports as amended (the staff report consolidated two frontage improvement conditions into one). Each motion carried on recorded roll calls with affirmative votes by the seven commissioners present.

The Planning Commission’s recommendations proceed to the City Council; staff said the item will appear before council at its first Monday meeting in July and that council-level proceedings on the growth policy amendment will include a resolution of intent and a public hearing before any action is taken.

Speakers who addressed this item at the hearing included staff presenting the application, commissioners during deliberations and one nearby resident during public comment. The commission’s recommendations were unanimous at the Planning Commission hearing.