Tell the Kalispell City Council and the Montana Department of Transportation to Put Main Street First Comment from Citizens for a Better FlatheadAimee Brunckhorst
From: Citizens For A Better Flathead<citizens@fIatheadcitizen s.ccsend.com> on behalf of
Citizens For A Better Flathead <citizens+flatheadcitizens.org@ccsend.com>
Sent: Friday, September 3, 2021 11:36 AM
To: Kalispell City Council
Subject: EXTERNAL Tell the Kalispell City Council and the Montana Department of Transportation
to Put Main Street First
Tell the Kalispell City Council and the
Montana Department of Transportation to
Put Mair Itrppt -'-st
On Tuesday, September
7th at 7pm, the
Cit Counor will vote on
whether to adopt, add
amendments and adopt, or
reject the
We
are encouraging the City
Council to add amendments
(outlined below) to the plan
to clarify the City's goals for
Downtown Kalispell and a
walkable-bikable
community.
This is important because the Montana Department of Transportation
(MDOT) basically holds the purse strings for what road improvements get
built in Kalispell and they will rely on the Move 2040 Kalispell Area
to guide those investments. As drafted by the
consultant, this plan is alarmingly silent on endorsing city adopted goals and
plans for Downtown Kalispell and the the greater Kalispell area that
prioritize making this area more walkable and bikable.
It is critical that you speak up NOW so that the the Montana Department of
Transportation knows what the community and businesses want from our
transportation plan.
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Click to send these suggested comments included in
this link now and to add your personal concerns. Please use a
few minutes this holiday weekend to get this done!
Your comments and support will shape what priorities MDOT funds ---so this
is a big deal ---Please send comments! If you are able to appear in person
on Tuesday, this item is top of the a en a. The agenda also has links for
joining this meeting on line where you can speak at this hearing.
Citizens for a Better Flathead has drafted a letter that encourages the
Kalispell City Council to amend the current draft plan to better clarify, which
the plan does not do currently, the City's commitment to do the following as
part of this new plan:
• Engage with the Montana Department of Transportation
and other stakeholders, as a top priority, to complete a
detailed corridor design study that implements a three -lane
Main Street design.
• Use a complete street approach for all new construction in
and around the urban core for a more walkable-bikable City
and establish a long term funding mechanism for trail and
sidewalk maintenance.
• Retain historic, economic, social, visual, pedestrian, and
community character priorities as much as possible when
planning for transportation infrastructure.
*Click HERE to view the full letter.
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Act now to make Downtown Kalispell less congested and more pedestrian friendly.
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Got time to lend some additional support?:
• Click HERE to print out the letter and a petition for you to
sign. Then, get your neighbors, friends, and local businesses to
sign. Please return it to Citizens either in hard copy to our office
just above Rocky Mountain Outfitter at 135 in downtown
Kalispell (756-8993), or scan it and email to us by noon on
Tuesday and we will present it at the City Council hearing.
*All people wishing to provide public comment to the City needs to provide an address.
Residents of Kalispell as well as those who rely on Kalispell for business, shopping,
and recreation should sign the petition.
Why This Is Important ---Read
below for additional background
Providing public comment at
Tuesday's meeting supports the City
Council when they engage in
negotiation to set priorities and
establish funding mechanisms with
the Montana Department of
Transportation and Flathead
County.
Engage with the Montana Department of Transportation and other
stakeholders, as a top priority, to complete a corridor study that implements
a three -lane Main Street design.
Kalispell City Council, as well as numerous stakeholders and individuals, have long
called for Main Street to be reduced to a three -lane corridor in order to create a more
pedestrian and business friendly environment downtown. Several past studies have
shown that it is possible for the transportation grid to effectively function with reduced
capacity on Main Street. The 201 Downtown Plan and the 2018 Kalispell City Urban
Kenewal Plan outline a vision for a three -lane Main Street that includes 16' sidewalks
and a landscaped center median used intermittently to allow for left turn lanes. The
Move 204o Transportation plan, again, models the feasibility of this proposal. The City
of Kalispell should engage with MDT and other stakeholders as soon as possible to create
a corridor design that implants this long held vision for Main Street.
Use a complete street approach for all new construction in and around the
urban core and establish a long term funding mechanism for trail and
sidewalk maintenance.
A complete street approach includes streets designed and operated to enable safe use
and to support mobility for all users, including people of all ages and abilities, regardless
of whether they are travelling as drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation
riders. The complete street approach has been shown to reduce automobile dependence
and the unending need to add new road capacity, reduce the per capita vehicle miles
traveled, and better meet the transportation needs of a significant segment of the
population who do not or can not drive. Additionally, the City of Kalispell should pursue
agreements and policies with state and local agencies that ensure the long term
maintenance of trails and sidewalks in and around the city. It is critical to creating a
connected community that the City's transportation policy adheres to this approach.
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Retain historic. economic. social. visual. aedestrian. and communitv character
priorities as much as possible when planning for transportation infrastructure.
While increasing road capacity and moving people and goods and services efficiently
should be a goal of transportation policy, it should be balanced with, and not override,
consideration of historic, economic, social, visual, pedestrian, and community character
factors. Main Street is currently a sea of asphalt and concrete providing little in the way
of culture, charm, or aesthetics, placing emphasis upon vehicles, and detracting from
the economic vitality and character of Kalispell. Additionally, Kalispell boasts historic and
well established neighborhoods that are attractive because of careful planning and long
term investment. Future transportation infrastructure and development should consider
these factors and account for the effect that remodeling streets or constructing new roads
will have on the economic vitality of a downtown block or the quality of a residential
neighborhood.
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