Planning commission forwards Mountain View Phase 2 preliminary plat to city council

The Kalispell Planning Commission on Jan. 13 voted to forward staff’s recommendation to approve the Mountain View Phase 2 preliminary plat to the City Council, scheduling the item for council review on Feb. 2, 2026.

Donnie McBath, Planner II, told the commission the application from Bison Hill LLC is an implementation of an already‑approved Mountain View Planned Unit Development and is limited to determining whether the Phase 2 plat complies with that PUD and existing subdivision regulations. “The request before the commission tonight is the implementation of the prior approval,” McBath said, adding the phase does not change density or the overall development concept approved under Ordinance 18‑62.

Staff’s presentation described Phase 2 as roughly 13.98 acres to be subdivided into 51 residential lots with public streets, alleys, internal utility looping, and designated open‑space tracks. McBath said the phase completes internal public street connections identified in earlier approvals, eliminating the prior dead‑end access condition and allowing multiple points of emergency access; final fire access details, hydrant spacing and fire flow will be reviewed by the Calispell Fire Department during engineering review. He also said the subdivision footprint is outside the FEMA 100‑year floodplain and contains no mapped wetlands, and that a geotechnical consultation letter dated December 2025 was submitted to re‑evaluate site soils and slope conditions.

Mike Brody, the project consultant with WGM Group, told commissioners a minor PUD modification was approved to remove a short public‑road segment that could not be made feasible because of topography and public‑works requirements. “We dropped the access point there,” Brody said, adding the change was discussed with site review and deemed an acceptable amendment.

Staff recommended the commission adopt the staff report as findings of fact and forward the recommendation of approval to the City Council subject to the listed conditions. On a roll‑call vote the commission recorded unanimous assent: Pip Burke Aye; Joshua Borgart Aye; Doug Kaufman Yes; Cody Hunter Aye; Kate Walker Yes; Rory Young Aye; Chad Graham Aye. The commission’s recommendation will be considered by the City Council at its Feb. 2 meeting.

Next steps: the applicant will advance through engineering review and final plat submittal, which will verify details such as grading, driveway slopes, retaining structures, stormwater facilities, and final fire‑access requirements.