Columbia Falls planning commission recommends new land use plan after public hearing on wildlife protections and housing

The Columbia Falls Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend that City Council adopt the draft Columbia Falls land use plan after a consultant presentation and a public hearing that focused on wildlife protections, housing opportunities and how the city will notify residents about development applications.

Nora, city manager, opened the presentation by describing the plan structure — background and existing conditions, an engagement chapter, a vision/goals/policies/actions framework and an implementation chapter — and the future land use map. She said the plan highlights three "opportunity areas": Highway 2 and Half Moon Road (expanded to include the old gravel pit and described as about 95 acres), the Cedar Palace area (seven parcels, about 24 acres) and the SEFAC/Tettle Heights property (roughly 344 acres), which Nora noted is an EPA Superfund site and "an opportunity to make a significant dent in the city's housing deficit." She told the commission the draft has been posted to the project website and that "we haven't actually gotten any community feedback through the online survey as of 3:00 today that I last checked." (Nora).

Why this matters: the plan lays out a citywide framework that city staff say will guide zoning and subdivision updates, infrastructure priorities and future development reviews. The plan calls out potential housing and mixed‑use opportunities but leaves many implementation specifics to forthcoming code updates and property owners' proposals.

Public commenters praised the engagement process and urged stronger protections for wildlife and clearer public notice. Shirley Folkine, representing the Upper Footed Neighborhood Association, thanked the commission and staff and cited survey figures reported in the Hungry Horse News showing strong support for environmental protections (she said roughly 83.7% supported preserving the natural environment, 89% supported protecting water quality and 82.6% supported preserving open space and wildlife corridors). Folkine urged the commission to strengthen plan language so subdivision standards and design guidelines incorporate "living with wildlife" best practices rather than relying solely on voluntary easements.

Resident Mike Burr (560 Talbot Road) echoed support for the plan and pressed the city to provide easier public access to application materials online. Burr asked that the city post an executive summary or simple site plan and maintain a subscription or spreadsheet so residents can learn when a complete application has been submitted rather than having to search for large PDFs.

Commission discussion touched on whether the three opportunity areas should be called out more explicitly for housing. Commissioners noted constraints including infrastructure distance, potential landowner intentions and conflicts between housing and nearby industrial uses (particularly at Cedar Palace). Staff noted Montana zoning changes already allow mixed use and multifamily in some commercial zones and recommended leaving the plan language flexible while addressing details in forthcoming Title 17/18 code updates.

On wildlife collaboration, commissioners and staff described outreach to Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) during plan development but warned against ceding local authority to a state agency; staff recommended goal‑level language to require the development of subdivision standards that incorporate best practices for wildlife rather than mandating a specific external agency's approval.

Action: The commission voted unanimously to recommend the land use plan to City Council. Roll call recorded Commissioners Johnson, Ruby, Kavanagh, Fisher and Ping voting in favor. The commission indicated it will forward the recommendation to City Council for a hearing and subsequent readings.

What comes next: staff said City Council will hold the first hearing (a special meeting) on June 8 and a second reading on June 15. The plan and related code updates will be refined as staff and the commission work through implementation details such as river setbacks, tree preservation and wildlife corridor measures.