Urgent Call for Comprehensive Review and Delay of Tronstad Meadows _ Whitetail Crossing Development Public Comment from Ming & Dan MunzingTo the Honorable Members of the Kalispell City Council: please confirm receipt of this email for public comment.
Dear Mayor Johnson and Council Members,
As a deeply concerned member of our Kalispell community, and homeowners and taxpayers in both the city and county, we are compelled to express our serious reservations about the Tronstad
Meadows / Whitetail Crossing development proposal currently before you. The overwhelming community opposition, coupled with significant and unresolved safety, environmental, and infrastructure
challenges, strongly suggests that this project is not ready for approval in its current form.
Inadequate Infrastructure and Misguided Traffic Solutions
The proposed development at Tronstad Meadows / Whitetail Crossing is expected to dramatically increase daily traffic by over 3,500 vehicle trips on Tronstad Road. Even hundreds of car
trips per day at phases of buildout will have a significant negative impact on the safety and accessibility of a narrow unimproved county road and the adjacent intersections.
Notably, the traffic studies used to justify this development have been narrowly scoped and fail to capture the full impact, especially during peak conditions. Alarmingly, the city's
previous intervention for increased traffic from the Quail Meadows development—a "porkchop" 3/4 turn at Tronstad Rd and Hwy 93—has proven inadequate and dangerous, increasing risks
rather than mitigating them. For the 90% of people traveling on Tronstad and intending to go south, the are left with unsatisfactory and unsafe options including going to the highly
congested Whitefish Stage/Reserve intersection or alternatively making an illegal left turn on hwy 93 or turning north, swiftly moving into the fast lane within 1/10 of a mile and making
a dangerous U-turn. Throwing all this traffic up to Church drive only kicks the congestive can up to another unsatisfactory intersection/underpass with known visibility problems for
vehicles entering hwy 93. The on ramp is troubled by inadequate visibility of oncoming traffic .
See photos attached of the “solution" we now live with on Tronstad). The first image is Tronstad Rd access to 93 and the bottom image is 93 access to Tronstad Rd. Please take a careful
look at what the city of Kalispell deems adequate and recently installed.
Please zoom in on photos to see the narrow lanes and drop-offs/potholes we currently navigate every day. And, please note, this 3/4 turn was just installed in the past year!
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Unlike other subdivisions along the Hwy 93 corridor, which are designed with appropriate access and minimal neighborhood disruption, Tronstad Whitetail Crossing proposes a high-density
residential area in a location that does not support such a development. It is situated on a narrow county road, with only one area of access , surrounded by agricultural lands and
rural neighborhoods, making it starkly different from other developments that have better accessibility and less impact on their surroundings.
The comparison to the annexation of a single veterinary clinic on Ponderosa Lane is misleading, as that involved a single property with immediate highway access and a straightforward
utility need, unlike the complex and expansive demands of Tronstad Meadows. Likewise, citing Quail Meadows subdivision of 39 homes .10 mile off of 93 on Tronstad Rd as the supportive
evidence that Tronstad Road can support a 380-home high-density development like Tronstad/Whitetail Crossing, is completely incongruous and inappropriate.
Environmental Concerns and Community Impact
This development threatens significant environmental damage, including the potential depletion of local aquifers, potentially affecting neighboring wells and water supply to existing
users, as well as disruption of existing wildlife habitats. Over 1,000 trees that serve as natural buffers and provide ecosystem services are at risk. The high-density nature of the
proposed development—380 homes on what is currently rural land—would irreversibly change the character of the area and could lead to considerable ecological and social disruption as
well as negative results from inadequately studied potential depletion of our aquifers.
Critical Review of Zoning and Public Safety
The proposed R3 zoning for this area, allowing such high-density development, is incongruent with the surrounding land uses which primarily feature larger, more spaced-out rural homes.
The appropriate zoning, considering the nature of the surrounding areas, would ideally be R1, aligning with the transitionary needs between urban and agricultural uses and supporting
less density, which is crucial for maintaining the rural character and environmental integrity of the region.
“Affordable” housing, not “affordable” to our service industry
While the website for Tronstad Meadows / Whitetail Crossing states that their mission is to “make homeownership attainable for working class Montana families and first-time homeowners,”
the projected price points for lots, current building costs, interest rates, and realities of needing to afford to live while building a home make the developer’s purposes highly
dubious.
It appears the primary target is actually out of state newcomers and magnifies and contributes to the ongoing erosion of local services. It’s clear that nothing in this development
creates costs controls and simple calculations make it highly unlikely that teachers, policemen, healthcare workers, and service workers will be able to afford to build and live here.
Development is more national than “local”
The lack of financial transparency leads many of us to suspect that the major financial contributor is Elcan & Associates. It is our concern that, with their multitude of projects (see
national development map below) the company is more focused on financial gain than contributing to the development and well being of Kalispell and the surrounding areas.
This is not one of ours concern for the many nearby developments currently under way, where the scope, density, location, and access seem appropriate.
In our encounters and conversation with the development team, they’ve expressed that the city’s eagerness to acquire the agricultural well on the property is a major enticement for annexation
and approval of this development. It’s our understanding that this agricultural well cannot be converted to municipal use.
Here is a map of the current development projects by the primary and funding partner, Elcan & Associates: https://elcaninc.com/ <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Felca
ninc.com%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cabrunckhorst%40kalispell.com%7C3a2ebfb01d8c4606176908dc6b832706%7C6219d736f71146359cbaff616a81b398%7C1%7C0%7C638503459081440586%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAi
LCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=82XXE563KkpJsgIgrP3oXl0RCN5ydtrd2Ig1wjVf2qk%3D&reserved=0>
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Demand for a Thorough Reevaluation
The city staff’s recommendation to proceed seems to have insufficiently addressed these critical concerns, particularly the unique challenges posed by this development compared to other
areas. There has been a lack of thorough analysis and genuine community engagement, which is essential for any project of this scale and impact.
Given these significant issues and the potential long-term consequences of proceeding without a more comprehensive planning approach, we urge the Council to delay any decisions regarding
amending the growth policy, annexation, rezoning, and preliminary plat approval until a clear, comprehensive plan that addresses all safety, traffic, environmental, infrastructural,
and resource concerns is developed and thoroughly discussed with the community.
This should include a reevaluation of the proposed zoning and a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts, especially concerning local water sources and traffic safety.
The community's input has clearly shown substantial opposition, not just to the scale of the development but also to the process that has seemed to prioritize rapid development over
sustainable growth and genuine community welfare.
As representatives of the people of Kalispell, it is crucial that you ensure development does not proceed at the expense of the community’s safety, environmental health, and quality
of life.
We ask that if you have any reasonable doubt or concern that the issues that have been presented to you and the unusually large public outcry, that you vote no on proceeding until concerns
have been satisfactorily addressed.
Please see this petition which has garnered almost 450 signatures at the time of our email submission here: https://www.change.org/corgi/assets/ <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=h
ttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.change.org%2Fcorgi%2Fassets%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cabrunckhorst%40kalispell.com%7C3a2ebfb01d8c4606176908dc6b832706%7C6219d736f71146359cbaff616a81b398%7C1%7C0%7C638503459081451767%7CUnknow
n%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C60000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=WmZgVl3c%2FKIAoZ%2BX40Lxy7pPNRrqezvDyHwMz%2Be8x3M%3D&reserved=0>
Conclusion and Call to Action
In conclusion, the Tronstad Meadows / Whitetail Crossing development requires a thoughtful, deliberate approach that considers the long-term impacts on our community. We must prioritize
responsible, sustainable growth that genuinely enhances Kalispell, respecting both its natural environment and the voices of its residents.
We, the community, look to you, our city leaders, to uphold the standards of thorough planning and public involvement that are the hallmark of responsible governance. Please take the
necessary steps to ensure that any development within our city is in the best interest of all residents, now and in the future.
Thank you for your attention to these urgent matters. We trust that you will approach this decision with the care and consideration it requires, ensuring that Kalispell remains a wonderful
place to live for current and future generations.
Sincerely,
Ming & Dan Munzing - 213 Tronstad Rd. Kalispell minglovejoy1@gmail.com dmunzing@gmail.com
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