Columbia Falls planning board recommends Railroad Park Homes despite neighbors’ objections over ball field

At a public hearing the Columbia Falls planning board voted to recommend City Council approval for Railroad Park Homes, a six‑lot, 1.3‑acre infill development at 394 Railroad Street, despite repeated neighborhood objections that the project will eliminate a long‑used local baseball field.

Planner Eric told the board the project requires three approvals: a growth‑policy map amendment, a zone change to R‑5 residential, and a preliminary plat. He described the parcel as a former Montana Department of Transportation surplus that now sits as a community ball field and said the proposal includes a roughly 15,000‑square‑foot pocket park and six residential lots. Eric noted growth‑policy guidance allowing two to eight units per acre and cited regional housing pressure: “median home price increase from $310,000 in 2019 to $574,000…