Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kalispell planning commission backs Northwest View preliminary plat, drops shared-driveway requirement
Summary
The Kalispell Planning Commission recommended approval of the Northwest View preliminary plat and an associated conditional use permit for 38 townhome units, and voted to remove a staff condition requiring shared 24-foot driveways for townhome parent lots, citing lot sizes and alley access.
The Kalispell Planning Commission on Nov. 12 recommended that City Council approve the Northwest View preliminary plat and its associated conditional use permit for attached townhome units, forwarding the items for a Dec. 1 council hearing.
Staff said the Northwest View proposal from LBO Properties would subdivide about 42.58 acres along the Stillwater Road corridor into 149 lots — 111 single-family detached units and 38 attached townhome units — consistent with the site’s R-3 zoning and the city’s urban residential growth-policy designation. The staff report (KPP-25-03 and KCU-25-05) described required public improvements, including a 16-inch water-main extension and approximately 4.47 acres of required parkland; the preliminary plat currently identifies about 1.95 acres of internal parkland and noted additional dedication or improvements will be required before final plat.
During public comment, Eric Mulcayi of Sand Surveying, representing developer Mark Owens of LBO, asked the commission to reconsider condition 29, which required townhome parent lots to use shared 24-foot driveways. Mulcayi told the commission the applicant’s townhome parent lots are wider than typical (about 90-foot parent lots with 40-foot sublots), and several lots have alley access; he asked that lots with alley access be allowed to have individual driveway accesses off the alley and that some units be allowed individual street-facing driveways where topography prevents a shared approach.
Commissioners and staff discussed the intent of the shared-driveway condition and whether topography or alley access justified an exception. Staff advised that shared driveways are commonly required for townhouse groupings to preserve streetscape character, but that in this R-3 proposal the parent lots exceed the minimum size and alley access and topography could support individual drives in some locations. After discussion, a commissioner moved to strike condition 29; the commission approved removal of the condition by roll call. The commission then voted to recommend approval of the preliminary plat and, subsequently, to recommend approval of the conditional use permit for townhomes as amended (with condition 29 removed). Kate Walker recused from the item.
The commission’s recommendation, including the removal of condition 29, will be transmitted to City Council; staff indicated the council hearing is set for Dec. 1.
The commission’s action does not constitute final approval. City Council will take the final vote on the preliminary plat and the conditional use permit at the scheduled hearing. If approved by council, final engineering, parkland dedication to meet the 0.03-acre-per-unit requirement, and roadway and utility design will be addressed during final plat and building permit review.
