Columbia Falls planning panel recommends six‑lot Railroad Park Homes despite neighbors’ pleas to save ballfield

At a Columbia Falls Planning Board meeting, members voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council approve a six‑lot subdivision called Railroad Park Homes, forwarding a growth‑policy map amendment, a zone change to R‑5 and the preliminary plat for council consideration.

The project would redevelop a 1.3‑acre parcel at 394 Railroad Street — previously transferred to the city as surplus by the Montana Department of Transportation — into six residential lots with an approximately 15,000‑square‑foot pocket park maintained by a homeowners association (HOA). Eric, the city planner, told the board the growth‑policy amendment is prompted by recent market changes: he cited a rise in the city’s median home price from about $310,000 in 2019 to $574,000 in 2024 (a roughly 90% increase) as evidence that the existing policy map did not anticipate post‑COVID demand.

The planner said staff recommends the amendment and the zoning change because the R‑5 district (urban residential) better aligns the parcel with surrounding single‑family uses and permits the proposed density; staff also reported no environmental hazards, noted existing sewer and water infrastructure with a small extension required, and proposed 15 conditions of approval (including fire permits, public‑works approval for utility extensions and a requirement for sidewalks along the project frontage).

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing urged the board to preserve the existing ballfield. "I really appreciate that you guys wanna build more housing… but I also am so upset that you would wanna take a little tiny baseball field and turn it into six houses when everybody in town uses that park," said Donna McCann, a Columbia Falls resident. Mike Nagel, who said he has lived directly across from the field for decades, added, "There's no reason to shut it down… Most every day that baseball field gets used. I don't feel that it's fair to take that field away."

Speakers pressed staff and the applicant on whether the pocket park would be dedicated to the city or owned and managed by an HOA. Eric replied the developer will create an HOA to maintain common areas and that taxes on the common area would be split among the six lots; he said an HOA could limit access unless an agreement provided public use. Applicant representative Mike Bridal of WGM said the intent is for the small park to be open to the public "if feasible" and that the lot layout was designed to fit the surrounding neighborhood and avoid a sense of sudden high density.

The board debated the tradeoffs between retaining neighborhood open space and addressing housing needs. Several members expressed sympathy for neighbors and the value of the ballfield, while also citing a recent housing report and prior council direction that emphasize creating more affordable housing and using city‑owned land when feasible. During deliberations the chair told residents the board’s role was to decide whether to forward a recommendation; final approval rests with the City Council.

The board approved each staff finding and recommended approval to council in separate votes: adopting the staff report for the growth‑policy map amendment, recommending the amendment to council; adopting the staff report for the zone change and recommending approval to council; and adopting the preliminary plat and recommending approval to council. Each motion was seconded and approved with votes recorded as "aye" and no opposition in the meeting transcript. The chair said the items will be considered by the City Council on Monday, May 19 at 7 p.m.

Next steps: the City Council will hold a public hearing on May 19; interested residents were encouraged to present comments to the council, the meeting’s statement said.

Authorities and procedural details referenced at the planning meeting include the city’s growth policy (adopted 2019), staff report codes cited in the staff packet (CDC 1501 / CPT 1501 / C2501 / CPP2501), and the parcel’s prior transfer from the Montana Department of Transportation to the city.