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Armory Road project draws homeowners—oncerns over stormwater, erosion and bridge maintenance
Summary
Multiple Armory Road residents told the council they support sidewalks and safety improvements but worry the project—ngineered stormwater outfall could raise flood risk, cause erosion on clay slopes and leave homeowners with a failing bridge; neighbors asked the city to assume maintenance of the bridge/path or to limit city involvement to the pathway.
Several neighbors near Armory Road told the Whitefish City Council on April 20 they back the Armory Road improvement project but raised specific concerns about stormwater impacts, stream-bank erosion and long-term maintenance of a failing bridge.
"The storm water could up the hundred-year flood plane," said Andy Best, president of the Willowbrook Homeowners Association, raising the possibility that increased flows could change flood-insurance exposure for nearby homeowners. Best said the HOA had been negotiating aesthetics for an outfall structure with the engineers and asked the city to consider two options: take over maintenance of the bridge and pathway, or—if homeowners granted the city the parkland—assume mowing, plowing and path upkeep.
Neighbors described erosion and recent costly repairs. "We've just recently spent about $80,000 putting in a retaining wall," said Karen Gainor, who lives on Armory Road. She warned that additional channeling of Cow Creek could undermine clay abutments and cause further slope failure.
Other residents, including Carla Steel and Jamie Belt, said they supported sidewalks and traffic calming but opposed conveying the entire HOA parkland to the city. "I do not wish to offer that to the city," Steel said, asking the city instead to maintain the pathway and bridge areas where traffic will be directed.
Engineers from Morrison & Morelli were cited repeatedly by neighbors as working with homeowners on design details; residents asked to see final designs before signing any easement. Ward and staff responses in the meeting emphasized that staff had heard the concerns and will follow up; the Deputy Mayor said staff will coordinate follow-up conversations with property owners and engineering consultants.
What happens next: staff said engineers will continue design coordination with neighborhood representatives and that the project team will present the final design and clarifications about stormwater flow, easement language and any maintenance agreements at subsequent meetings. Several residents said they would prefer the city share in bridge maintenance costs rather than surrender parkland ownership.
No formal vote was taken on the easement during this meeting; comments were recorded as communications from the public for council and staff consideration.
