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Columbia Falls reviews draft future land use map; sewer expansion eyed to reduce septic risk
Summary
Consultants and staff presented a draft future land use map that adds downtown, innovation-flex and opportunity-area designations and highlights a potential infrastructure expansion to address high septic risk; councilors asked about building heights and implementation steps.
Consultants and city staff on Monday presented a draft future land use map for Columbia Falls that aims to guide future growth while protecting rivers and enabling targeted infrastructure expansion.
The consulting planner, Norah Bland of Kushing Terrell, told the council the map is “a tool to illustrate the community's vision for growth” and stressed it is a guiding document, not a zoning ordinance. Eric (city staff) and Bland said the draft adds a downtown designation centered on Nucleus Avenue, an “innovation flex” category to blend light industry with office and research uses, and a marked infrastructure expansion area along Highway 2 to support commercial and multifamily development.
The presentation focused on environmental and infrastructure trade-offs. Eric summarized a 2024 Flathead Basin/Western Montana study showing clusters of high septic risk around Columbia Falls — driven by aging systems, proximity to surface water and high groundwater — and said extending wastewater conveyance could reduce contamination risk to the river while improving the city’s competitiveness for grants. “There are several areas that have extremely high septic risk due to age of systems, unpermitted systems and vicinity to surface water,” Eric said.
Bland walked the council through the proposed land-use categories and their intent: downtown (retail, restaurants, mixed use with pedestrian orientation), commercial (one- to four-story auto- and pedestrian-oriented uses), innovation flex (flexible mix of light industrial, R&D and live-work), urban residential (medium- to high-density housing), suburban residential and rural preserve. She also identified three opportunity areas for priority growth: the Highway 2/Half Moon Road corner, the Theater Palace area and the Tetettle Heights/Sefac property.
Council members pressed presenters on the plan’s regulatory effect. Staff repeatedly clarified the map is advisory and that specific zoning rules — including building height, setbacks and permitted uses — will be established in a separate zoning ordinance. Councilors voiced concern about taller structures affecting views; Bland and staff noted state rules permit up to six stories in commercial districts but said any change in zoning or height limits would require a separate process.
The cost of the next-generation wastewater treatment upgrade was discussed as part of the infrastructure rationale: staff cited a planning estimate in the range of "$28 to $32 million" for a future treatment system footprint and said expanding service areas would help achieve economies of scale.
Next steps: staff will host a virtual open house on the project tomorrow at about 5:00 p.m. (Zoom), with Eric and Caleb present at city hall to share slides and an online activity to collect comments; the council will have another opportunity for final comment at its May 4 meeting and further hearings as the plan and implementing zoning are refined.
The presentation and discussion will inform revisions before public hearings and a future adoption vote; no formal action on the plan was taken at Monday’s meeting.
