Downtown business groups urge Kalispell to prioritize parking, wayfinding and grant leverage

Several downtown business representatives used the council meeting’s public comment period to press for action to revive Kalispell’s commercial core.

Bill Mosley, chairman of the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Forward Coalition, said the coalition — which includes the Chamber, Flathead Builders Association, Downtown Association, Kalispell Business Improvement District and Discover Kalispell — has formed four working groups focused on infrastructure and design, business recruitment and advocacy, activation and culture, and engagement and communication. Mosley said a survey of downtown businesses produced 36 responses and showed parking as the top concern.

"Only 17 percent said that they would definitely expand their business in downtown if they needed to expand," Mosley said, and he urged council to consider modest investments such as wayfinding and signage projects in the $20,000–$30,000 range to alleviate parking perception and access issues.

Keesa Davidson, chair of the Kalispell BID, said the BID will assume direct stewardship and reduce its operating budget to save about $3,300 per month — roughly $20,000 over six months — and use those savings as match for grants to fund flower baskets, benches, trash cans and infrastructure repairs. Davidson said the BID will provide monthly reports to council and focus on attracting economic investment and using TIF dollars for improvements.

Councilors acknowledged the business community’s concerns about rising commercial property taxes and encouraged continued coordination between the city, county and state agencies for corridor planning.

Mosley and the BID’s leaders said they will continue outreach with MDOT and other partners and return to council with periodic updates.