Our Client: Kalispell Grand Hotel; Opposition to CUP Application KCU-22-02 – Eagles Lot Development Public Comment from Noelle Barr and AttorneyAimee Brunckhorst
From: Amanda Reiber <areiber@dmllaw.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 15, 2022 11:36 AM
To: Kirstin Robinson
Cc: Bill VanCanagan; JR Casillas; Lizzie Stoos; Gillian O'Neil; Charlie Harball;
pam@downtownkalispell.com; Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL RE: Our Client: Kalispell Grand Hotel; Opposition to CUP Application
KCU-22-02 — Eagles Lot Development
Attachments: 2022.09.15 Noelle Barr Letter to Planning Board.pdf
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Good Morning,
Attached please find correspondence from our client, Mrs. Noelle Barr, regarding the above referenced CUP Application.
Mr. and Mrs. Barr own the Kalispell Grand Hotel, which is directly impacted by the City's decision on this CUP. Please refer
to our correspondence dated September 13, 2022. Our clients were not given the right to speak at the meeting and we
respectfully request that the attached be admitted into the record expressing their concerns and opposition. Please
contact us with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Amanda Reiber,
Daltsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C.
201 W. Main Street, Suite 201 Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: 406.728.0810 ( Fax: 406.543.0134
The documents included with this electronic mail transmission contain information from the law firm of Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C. which is confidential and/or privileged. This information is
intended to be for the use of the addressee only. Note that any disclosure, printing, photocopying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mailed information by persons other than the addressee or an
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immediately.
From: Amanda Reiber
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2022 10:20 AM
To: planning@kalispelLcom
Cc: Bill VanCanagan <bvancanagan@dmllaw.com>; JR Casillas <JRCasillas@dmllaw.com>; Lizzie Stoos
<Istoos@dmllaw.com>; Gillian O'Neil <goneil@dmllaw.com>; cityattorney@kalispell.com;
pam@downtownkalispell.com; publiccomment@kalispell.com
Subject: Our Client: Kalispell Grand Hotel; Opposition to CUP Application KCU-22-02 — Eagles Lot Development
Good Morning,
Attached please find correspondence from attorney William K. VanCanagan regarding the above referenced matter. A
hard copy will not follow. Please contact our office with any questions or concerns.
Thank you,
Amanda Reiber,
Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C.
201 W. Main Street, Suite 201 Missoula, MT 59802
Phone: 406.728.0810 ( Fax: 406.543.0134
The documents included with this electronic mail transmission contain information from the law firm of Datsopoulos, MacDonald & Lind, P.C. which is confidential and/or privileged. This information is
intended to be for the use of the addressee only. Note that any disclosure, printing, photocopying, distribution or use of the contents of this e-mailed information by persons other than the addressee or an
agent of the addressee, is unauthorized and prohibited. If you have received this electronic mail in error, please notify us via electronic mail reply to the sender or by telephone (collect 406-728-0810)
immediately.
September 15, 2022
Members of the City of Kalispell Planning Board and City Council,
My husband John and I desperately would have liked to have addressed you during the meeting on
Tuesday, September 13, 2022, and are extremely frustrated not to be able to attend. Having our attorney
respond was the best we could do in the circumstances. We purchased the Kalispell Grand Hotel in the
fall of 2020. We were not certain of our plans or the best use of the property at the time but we believed
the building to be of great architectural significance to downtown and it appeared from the "Downtown
Kalispell Urban Renewal Plan", that the city was dedicated to maintaining the historic value of the
commercial district. We are very much in support of the Charles project. We are in support of high
density and mixed -use properties for the downtown. What we are opposed to in order of importance:
1) handing over the core parking in the downtown historic commercial zone to a private developer without
providing appropriate parking alternatives to the core businesses in the district; 2) the visual effects of
the massive structure will be the dominating, defining architectural theme of the historic downtown; and
3) not allowing the Eagles Lot to be put out for a proper RFP denies the stakeholders of a larger, more
valuable investment in the district that may be more suitable to both the parking and the historic
preservation goals, as well as a huge increased tax base. I hate to see missed opportunities that cannot
be reversed and I am strongly against planning without the stakeholder's input.
As for as our input, the city was made aware of our interests in being a part of the discussions and being
involved in a substantial investment and financing. The city is aware that we are very supportive of
multilevel housing with parking beneath as I made that suggestion to them over a year ago. There has
been no attempt by the city to include us in the discussion. The city has refused to provide the appropriate
and legally required information about the project, leading us to believe that they are not interested in
finding the best solutions for all of the stakeholders.
These are the root of our concerns and I hope this allows you all to know that we are committed to the
downtown commercial district, with growth using multi -use, mid -rise structures. While, at the same time,
our priority lies with the Kalispell Grand parking. The hotel will be substantially harmed without adjacent
parking and is very likely that the property would need to be repurposed. I would request you to consider
all these problems and hold real discussions with all the property owners in the downtown historic district
in a joint and cohesive manner before making a hasty decision. We would be happy to fly in to hold
discussions at any time. This would have been an impossible time for us to come as John has been in trial
in Houston, which is about the only thing that would have kept us from attending. Our schedules should
open up next week if you are committed to opening these discussions. I hope this works out for the best
interests of the downtown historic district.
Sincerely,
Noelle Barr
(713) 202-5949