Kalispell council approves annexation, zoning and preliminary plat for Vista Ridge Cottages over objections about floodplain

The Kalispell City Council voted to annex approximately 15.78 acres and approve a planned unit development overlay and preliminary plat for Vista Ridge Cottages, a proposed 96-unit residential subdivision at or near 4892 2 Mile Drive.

The developer seeks annexation into the city, initial zoning of RA-1 (residential apartment) with a PUD overlay, and preliminary plat approval for 53 detached single-family units and 43 attached townhome units on about 15.8 acres. The council voted on three related items in succession: Resolution 62-41 (annexation), Ordinance 19-34 (first reading, zoning and PUD), and Resolution 62-42 (preliminary plat). Each measure passed on roll-call votes, 8–1, with Councilor Hunter the lone dissenting vote on each item.

Why it matters: the proposal would add a new, higher-density housing product to Kalispell’s growth area and requests multiple zoning deviations that the developer and planning staff say will lower construction costs and broaden housing options.

Planning staff said the proposal comes in at about 6.1 dwelling units per acre—below densities allowed in parts of the city’s growth-policy map—and described the layout as a loop road with internal alleys, parkland dedication of approximately 0.03 acres per unit (about 2.88 acres total), and required street and utility improvements to city standards. Staff identified five categories of requested deviations from RA-1 and subdivision standards: reduced minimum lot sizes, limitations on accessory dwelling units within the PUD, reduced minimum lot widths, increased maximum lot coverage, and reduced setbacks (including zero setback adjacent to common areas with a proposed 10-foot no-build easement).

Floodplain and FEMA: staff acknowledged that a substantial portion of the southern half of the property lies in the mapped floodplain. To develop those areas, the applicant must pursue a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) with FEMA and a city floodplain development permit before placing compacted fill and removing land from the floodplain maps. Staff said the CLOMR/permit process is separate from city approvals, typically takes roughly a year to complete and is undertaken at the developer’s expense. Councilor Hunter said he opposed approving the items because he worried that placing fill in the floodplain could displace floodwater and worsen downstream flood effects; staff replied that the CLOMR process evaluates those impacts and that the project is outside the regulatory floodway and would need to demonstrate it does not create more than a small rise under FEMA rules.

Public comment and developer presentation: Guy Hatcher, a member of the Vista Ridge development team, described the project as intended to provide lower-cost housing through modular construction. Hatcher said the project would use prefabricated building cells that are set on prepared pads and that the approach shortens on-site construction time; he also said the team was aiming at lower price points and described a village-style layout with parks, walkways and common-area front yards. In public comment, attendees asked about affordable units; Hatcher and staff said the PUD is intended to enable a range of sizes and price points but did not commit to a specific affordable-housing set-aside.

Council response and votes: Council discussion split between members emphasizing the project’s potential to add varied housing inventory and those raising floodplain or long-term safety concerns. Councilor Graham and others said the development could support market filtering and add attainable housing options; Councilor Hunter emphasized floodplain risks and declined to support the approvals. Final recorded roll calls showed the annexation resolution (62-41), first-reading ordinance (19-34), and preliminary plat resolution (62-42) each passed 8–1 with Hunter opposed.

Next steps: the developer must complete required engineering reviews, extend utilities and frontage improvements to city standards, and secure the FEMA CLOMR and city floodplain permit before construction in floodplain areas can proceed. The approvals granted by council are conditional and include the list of staff conditions forwarded by the Planning Commission.