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Council approves conditional use permit for Mountain Prime Steakhouse with enclosed accessory casino
Summary
Council granted a conditional use permit for an 11,068 sq ft downtown restaurant with a 959 sq ft enclosed accessory gaming area, requiring conditions to maintain gaming as subordinate and enclosed; councilors debated the social impacts of casinos but approved the CUP unanimously.
The City of Kalispell on July 7 approved a conditional use permit for a downtown full-service restaurant that will include a small, enclosed accessory gaming area.
Donny Macbeth, Planner 2, presented the staff report outlining the request from Tony Tran to convert an existing downtown building at 214 South Main Street into the proposed Mountain Prime Steakhouse with a gaming area of 959 square feet within an overall 11,068 square-foot layout. "The proposed gaming area is well under the 20% maximum allowed for accessory use," Macbeth said. The B-4 zoning district allows restaurants and bars by right but requires a conditional-use permit for casino uses.
The Planning Commission recommended approval with conditions to ensure the gaming area remains secondary, enclosed with permanent walls and a standard door, and that signage not reference gaming. The CUP also requires all applicable permits and a traffic-impact study; staff said no exterior building or facade changes were proposed.
Council debate reflected divergent views on casinos. Councilor Hunter said he opposes casinos on principle but felt the city’s regulatory and liquor-license context constrains the council’s options: "I will support it as I have in the past when these have come before us, but I do so reluctantly because I don't think they're good for our community." Councilor Dowd and Councilor Graham said they support business choice and noted the accessory-casino framework was intended to help restaurants obtain expensive liquor licenses while keeping gaming subordinate.
Architect Patrick Conover and owner Tony Tran were present; Conover said a traffic study had been submitted and that the business will comply with local regulations. The council moved to approve the conditional-use permit KCUD-25-03 subject to the ten conditions of approval listed in the staff report; the motion, moved by Councilor Dowd and seconded by Councilor Carlson, passed by roll call with all councilors voting aye.
Why it matters: The CUP enables adaptive reuse of a downtown building and seeks to balance economic revitalization and liquor-license realities with zoning limits on gaming. The approval includes enforceable conditions requiring substantial conformance: "The development and use of the site shall be in substantial conformance with the submitted application and architectural site plan drawings," staff told the council.
Next steps: The applicant must obtain any required city permits, comply with CUP conditions and complete the traffic-impact study review; staff will monitor substantial conformance to the approved plans.
