Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Work session: Reserve at Johnson Ranch proposal would add mixed residential and a 10‑acre commercial node near Glacier High School
Summary
Planning staff presented a conceptual Reserve at Johnson Ranch project in a Feb. 11 work session that would annex about 91.8 acres, add a neighborhood business node and accommodate about 186 single‑family lots plus multifamily and commercial development near the Old Reserve/Stillwater intersection.
Planning staff presented a conceptual application for the Reserve at Johnson Ranch during a Feb. 11 Kalispell Planning Commission work session, and commissioners provided feedback but took no formal action.
The applicants (Spartan Holdings LLC and Whispering Trails LLC) requested annexation, a growth‑policy amendment to create a neighborhood‑business and high‑density residential node at the northwest corner of Old Reserve Drive and Stillwater Road, initial zoning that included R‑3, RA‑1 and a B‑1 neighborhood business node with a PUD overlay, and a preliminary plat for roughly 91.8 acres. The plat concept showed 186 single‑family lots, two multifamily lots (one described in the presentation as containing about 237 units), and one commercial lot of about 10 acres. Staff said public notice initially overstated a multifamily unit total of 397 and corrected that figure in the meeting discussion.
The commercial node request would seek up to about 110,000 square feet of development on the 10‑acre B‑1 lot, including a proposed neighborhood grocery of roughly 40,000 square feet; staff noted 10 acres is larger than most B‑1 nodes but is supportable under the growth policy if elevated site and architectural design, landscaping and buffering are demonstrated.
Staff flagged several technical items commissioners should expect for later submittals: updated traffic analysis to include the north side of Stillwater Road (the TIS submitted so far did not include the northern parcels), more detailed conceptual plans for the multifamily areas, a grading and stormwater plan to address steep slopes and runoff, and clarification of a well site and any water‑rights or protection zones associated with it. Staff also discussed phasing and frontage construction costs: the city’s standard is to require full frontage improvements with a plat; the applicant proposed a phasing approach that might spread frontage construction costs as subsequent phases develop.
Commissioner and public feedback emphasized design detail, buffering between the new higher‑density areas and adjacent county single‑family homes to the west, and pedestrian connections and sidewalk continuity near Glacier High School. Commissioners asked about slope percentages on the site; staff said no slopes exceeded the 25% threshold in their review but additional grading plans will be required. Commissioners and at least one public commenter raised safety concerns about the proposed roundabout at Old Reserve Drive and Stillwater Road given the proximity to Glacier High School and potential for frequent student use of a neighborhood grocery.
Staff proposed returning with a more detailed plan and a follow‑up work session next month to address conceptual design for the multifamily lots and the B‑1 node, updates to the TIS and additional grading and water‑system information.
Ending: No formal vote was taken; staff and commissioners agreed to request more detailed plans and updated technical studies before a public hearing or recommendation to City Council.
