Sept 7th City Council Meeting Public Comment from Steve MooreAimee Brunckhorst
From:
Steve Moore <steve.moore@mac.com>
Sent:
Monday, September 6, 2021 11:10 AM
To:
Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Cc:
citizens@fIatheadcitizens.org
Subject:
EXTERNAL Sept 7th City Council Meeting
Dear Kalispell City Council,
It is easy to see that Kalispell is growing and will continue to grow. The leadership roles you are in demand that you
consider not what Kalispell is now, but what it can be in the future. If we take 2040 to be a realistic endpoint for
consideration, we know that there will be significant changes to society between then and now. For one, individual
vehicular traffic will be phasing out to incorporate more specialized traffic patterns — autonomous vehicles will
transport individuals to and from central Kalispell, but not require parking or other layover infrastructure. Mass transit
posited on clean energy and efficiency will move people to the peripheries wherein foot/wheelchair/bike traffic will
predominantly take over from there. Downtown Kalispell can be a central location for social activity, not simply
commerce. As such, design considerations need to take into account the likelihood of a slower lifestyle, more health -
oriented activities, and stress reducing environments.
Please don't just make downtown Kalispell just a tidier version of what exists now. We will need walking, communing,
and relaxation spaces more than we will need a thoroughfare to move people from commercial sites on the outskirts of
town. Downtown Kalispell should be an invigorating, uniting, and communal experience, not just a shopping destination
cluttered with the requirements of an anachronistic transportation heritage.
People, not cars, should be forefront of your considerations.
Sincerely,
Steve Moore
580 Robocker Lane
Kalispell, MT
1