Columbia Falls planners weigh future land-use map as septic risk and wastewater costs push discussion of service expansion

Summary

Consultants presented a draft future land use map and goals that add a downtown designation, an 'innovation/flex' district and an infrastructure‑expansion area; commissioners and public focused on septic‑risk mapping, a $28–$30 million wastewater plant upgrade and protections for wildlife corridors and river setbacks.

Consultants and city staff presented a draft future land use map and a set of vision and goals to the Columbia Falls Planning Commission, highlighting options to concentrate growth, protect river health and make the city more competitive for grant funding.

The presentation by consultants Norah and Eric, and a related poll summarized by Nathan Dugan, emphasized three thrusts: a proposed downtown designation around Nucleus Avenue, incorporation of multifamily housing into an 'urban residential' category, and a new infrastructure‑expansion area north of the airport along Highway 2 that the city says could make it more eligible for sewer‑extension grants. "Seventy‑eight percent of Columbia Falls voters want to avoid sprawling outward," Nathan Dugan told the commission, citing a county poll of 615 residents conducted Feb. 20–25, 2026.

Why it matters: staff and consultants…

Columbia Falls planners weigh future land-use map as septic risk and wastewater costs push discussion of service expansion

Summary

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