The Kalispell City Council on Monday night approved a proposal for the Tronstad Meadows and Whitetail Crossing development located off US Highway 93, giving the green light to a new, scaled-down version of the proposal after the council previously did so. rejected a zone change for the original project last June.

In a 5-2 vote, councilors approved the preliminary plat, the planned unit development and the rezoning to R-2, which allows for greater density, with council members Jed Fisher and Ryan Hunter voting against. The council also approved an annexation that would bring the property into the city limits in a separate 6-1 vote, with Fisher voting against it. Council members Sid Daoud and Jessica Dahlman were absent during the vote.

Last month, the Kalispell Planning Commission approved the scaled-down proposal after it was resubmitted following the council’s denial of the zone change from the original proposal last June.

After rejection by the council five months ago, developers Frank Garner and Jon Sonju, both former Republican legislators, returned with a project that reduced the density from 380 lots to 355. The minimum lot size would be 6,000 square feet and the lot largest would be 19,878 square feet. . The original proposal included a maximum lot size of 10,000 square feet.

The developers also adjusted the design of the proposed subdivision to include buffer zones along its boundaries, placing smaller lots on the interior and beginning the initial phases in the southeast corner to provide the least impact to neighbors. Accessory dwelling units and short-term rentals would be prohibited from the development to prevent further congestion.

City councilors at their June meeting approved a change in growth policy.

Some councilors felt that the changes introduced by the developers significantly improved the project and addressed concerns about density, layout, timing of construction, and infrastructure improvements.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes here, and some of them are big,” said Council President Chad Graham. “Some of them are huge concessions.”

The project also involves a collaboration with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) to install right and left turn lanes at Tronstad Road and Silverbrook Drive, traffic signals at the intersection with US Highway 93, and a deceleration lane, which According to the authorities, it would not be possible. without development.

“Montana is a backward state,” said Mayor Mark Johnson. “As we’ve said, to improve anything in the highway system, we have to have developers. What we are seeing is an opportunity where we can achieve a victory, not at the expense of the taxpayers, but, dare I say, at the expense of the developers.”

Other councilors, however, were not convinced that the scaled-down proposal addressed concerns raised about the previous version of the project.

“I think it’s a safety issue on this road,” Fisher said.

Councilman Hunter was also concerned about safety issues and did not support sprawling development without a mix of housing options to meet a variety of needs.

“It’s a broken development pattern, and I don’t want the same mistake to be made in my community,” Hunter said. “With this, we are going in the wrong direction.”

The approval ended the saga that began last April when the original proposal was presented to the planning commission, drawing widespread criticism from neighbors. Members of the public have cited issues such as a lack of emergency services, traffic congestion, safety and a transformation of the rural character of the area.

Dozens of neighbors at the Nov. 4 meeting provided hours of public testimony and comments opposing the development, reiterating concerns and casting doubt that the renewed proposal would address the concerns.

“For those of you who remember Joni Mitchell’s song ‘Big Yellow Taxi,’ don’t pave paradise,” Amy Vanderbilt said. “Think about where it should be and think about long-term planning for this valley that we all love and that others have shared. “We don’t want them to destroy it.”

A handful of proponents spoke in support of the project, saying it would fill a local workforce need and help address the housing shortage with smaller lots and higher density.

“We’ve rejected the idea that we should have a bunch of mansions on septic tanks and wells on this land and that there’s a better use for the people who live and work here,” Garner said.

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