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

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 said identifying the infrastructure‑expansion area on an adopted plan strengthens eligibility for state and federal grants to replace aging or unpermitted septic systems near the Flathead River. The presentation flagged three high‑risk septic zones—Aluminum City, river‑adjacent neighborhoods east of town, and the Highway 2 corridor—based on a septic‑risk GIS model from the Western Montana Conservation Commission.

Commissioners repeatedly returned to the financial and character tradeoffs: a forthcoming next‑generation wastewater treatment plant was estimated at roughly $28–$30 million, which staff said could require expansion of the tax base or commercial development along Highway 2 to share costs. One commissioner warned that state law permitting commercial zones to allow 60‑foot structures could, over decades, change downtown character unless the commission uses form‑based setbacks or targeted carve‑outs.

Public comment stressed environmental protections. Local resident Russ Bookenich told commissioners that recent tree removal near Tettle Heights disrupted wildlife corridors and asked the city to adopt riparian setbacks and stronger vegetation protections. Shirley Folkine, representing the Upper Flathead Neighborhood Association, urged explicit references to floodplain policy, citing examples such as a 100‑foot setback used in nearby Whitefish.

How the commission plans to proceed: commissioners asked staff to add explicit language about wildlife corridors and habitat into the vision/goals text and instructed staff to prepare a revised map that assigns potential future land uses within the proposed infrastructure‑expansion area for the commission to review at an upcoming meeting. Staff emphasized that no formal decision would be made tonight; the commission is feeding a recommendation to the city council under a schedule that includes an April open house, an April 9 commission recommendation and public hearings in May and June.

What remains unresolved: the commission did not take a vote on changes to zoning, building heights or annexation; options for form‑based design standards and the precise sequence of grant applications and sewer extensions all remain to be studied. Consultants said additional technical studies (water/wastewater capacity and environmental overlays) will be required before regulatory changes or annexation moves forward.

Next steps: staff said they would bring back draft future land‑use assignments for the infrastructure‑expansion area, incorporate wildlife corridor language into the vision and goals, and continue public outreach ahead of the April/May public hearing schedule.