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Tronstad Public Comment 5-29-24 Colby ShawMay 29, 2024 Re: Tronstad Meadows / Whitetail Crossing Colby Shaw 89 Tronstad Drive Kalispell, MT S9901 To Mayor Johnson and City Council Members, I attended the Tuesday May 281" council meeting last night in hopes of speaking at Public Comment. However, the Warming House subject was very emotional for all including yourselves. Being that and it was 10 PM, I felt the public comment delivery may come better as a letter. CART BEFORE THE HORSE! That is how I feel this proposed subdivision is being handled. There is so much infrastructure needed to be in place for safety concerns, connectivity to City and effects on current neighborhood wells. I have owned my property on Tronstad Drive since 2006, Tronstad Road is a Secondary Road for the County, meaning anytime there is a winter storm it maybe the second day before the County would plow Tronstad Road. Asa matter of fact, we have been drifted in S times since 2006 in which we could not leave the house until someone came with a plow truck and two or three times needed a Bobcat with a bucket to remove snow so we could leave our house. The proposed subdivision does not have any windbreak and if houses are constructed on the West and constructed clockwise, the wind and snow will drift up the subdivision since it's all -open space to the east. Tronstad Road also has weight limits in the Spring (February — April) so large trucks can't be on it. Large trucks trying to turnoff Tronstad Road onto Whitefish stage take up both lanes on Whitefish Stage as they take wide turns. The same is true when turning off Whitefish Stage onto Tronstad Road. A neighbor of mine, Lee Conrad lives at 240 Tronstad Road, he works for the County. In the winter he plows for them as needed. He must plow his driveway though the night to ensure he can get out and go to work. You have heard public comments from neighbors stating how dangerous Tronstad Road is in winter and how steep the banks are when they have gone off the road. In 2019, the 10 acres bordering me to the west was annexed into the City of Kalispell without myself or any neighbor within 1 SO feet being notified in writing. At the time it was zoned R2. Howard Mann bought the property and wanted to change zoning so he could build 39 homes on 10 acres. To get Neighborhood support Howard Mann visited with all immediate neighbors, mainly Tronstad Drive (Koenig Subdivision). He showed the designs of the house and stated he would put up 6-foot privacy fences to insure his subdivision and ours would maintain privacy. His subdivision windows would not be any higher than the 6-foot privacy fence. As they began doing the dirt work and grading the Quail Meadows subdivision, I and my neighbors noticed they were bringing up the back part of the Quail Meadows subdivision 6 feet higher than my backyard and had it sloped directly to my property. The city had no idea this was being done. Turns out, Howard wanted to do a gravity fed sewer line instead of putting a sewer pump in and pumping it to Tronstad Road to save money. I had photos from 2014 showing the property to the east (proposed Tronstad Meadows) would fill up like a lake in the spring and the natural flow of water went from east to west. 2014 photo showed water came up almost to my house and into my crawl space. I showed pictures to Keith Haskins. The city required Howard Mann to put a 10-foot drain ditch between my property and Quail Meadows running the length of my backyard, the same was asked to the North property line for the land MTN Max business property line. Howard wanted to put rocks in that area and the city agreed with me it would look terrible and required Howard to install grass and sprinklers. Thank goodness that was done as Quail Meadows has no park space besides a 2400 square foot area for a pickle ball court. Now all the neighbors use it for a dog park, otherwise Quail meadows would have no park space with grass. Meanwhile, the houses -built bordering by backyard to the west all can see over the privacy fence and into my backyard. So, the promise of privacy was out the door. Also, the city required Howard Mann to put in a 3/4 movement turn (pork -chop) on Tronstad Road to get onto Highway 93 as a right turn only. I spoke to MDT at that time and told them they need to put a deceleration lane in off Hwy 93 turning onto Tronstad Road. I told them someone will approach Tronstad road from Hwy 93 way too fast and blow over the 3/4 movement (pork chop) and it may act as a trajectory to launch a car into another car trying to make a turn to the right onto HWY 93. About 3 weeks ago someone did plow right over the pork chop and took out the No Left Turn sign and the stop sign. Thankfully now one was waiting to take a right turn onto HWY 93 at that time. The No Left Turn sign has not been replaced as it was concreted into the pork -chop. Looks like it will have to be jack hammered and re -cemented with a new sign but most likely to be taken out again soon. The turn onto and off Tronstad Road onto HWY 93 is terrible. There is no shoulder but large dirt potholes. This Neighborhood has pull campers, horse trailers, toy trailers, boats and etc. They can't fit onto the asphalt and there may be damage to people's trailers. I see a traffic study showing a decelerator lane now, this should have been done when the 3/4 turn was added. We look at that intersection and we are very concerned that the City of Kalispell didn't require more to be done for safety measures at this intersection. Our concerns continue if this property is annexed. The 110 acres (proposed Tronstad Meadows / Whitetail Crossing) was owned and farmed by the Koenig family. Bill Koenig also had developed Harvest View Estates and had used hard money with Questa mortgage in Bigfork. Questa tried to foreclose on Bill Koenig and in court Questa Mortgage was found to be a predatory lender. Bill needed financial help and Don Dammel helped financially. In trade Don Dammel revied the 110 acres and it was zoned R-S with the County. Don approached the neighborhood (Koenig subdivision) and asked for our support in his zoning change application with the County from S acres to 2.S acres. He stated it would be easier to maintain 2.S acres vs S and would look nicer. He also stated he would work with us on view corridors and park space. We supported Don and went to the County Planning Board meeting for his request for zoning change. We stated we were in support and one of my questions to Jeff Larson (County Planning Board President at time) will the developer state if they would ever take this to the City of Kalispell after we support them to change from RS to R 2.5. Jeff Larson looked at Eric Mulcahy (Sands Surveying representing Don Dammel and his partners) and asked Eric if they would ever decide to take this to the city. Eric Mulcahy responded "NO." I find it interesting that now Eric Mulcahy represents the developers trying to get this property annexed into the City. My point of those two stories and experiences, what Developers say they are going to do or promises they make always changes. This has made our neighborhood vary wary. The neighborhood is also wary about how the City of Kalispell didn't plan for drainage issue when they built up Quail Meadows and the 3/4 turn with no proper infrastructure such as widening both sides of the pork chop and not adding a decelerator lane. Since Don Dammel sold the 110 acres to the developer, I have been calling PJ Sorenson every 3 months for a year or longer asking if he had heard of anything or proposal of this land being requested into the City of Kalispell. PJ Sorenson kept telling me no, have not heard anything and the last comment made stating nothing was on his desk and no more added or said. Not even a month went by, and I got a phone call form Frank Garner asking to meet. I was on my son's spring break vacation trip and said I would get back to him when home. This was the middle of March, and the first meeting was, I believe, April with the City Planning Commission. Then, I found out at the March 20 public hearing from Eric Mulcahy stating they have been working on the application for 9 months. Why didn't PJ share any of that info with me or at least a heads up? I am born and raised here and represented Kalispell in all types of sports growing up and playing baseball 3 years for the Lakers which is a City of Kalispell field and coached 3 more years after playing for Kalispell Lakers. I worked tirelessly on the City of Kalispell baseball field. I worked for Parks and Recreation 3 summers between college, my dad worked for City of Kalispell public works for over 30 years. Kalispell is dear to my heart. City Kalispell Growth policy states "Seek ways to provide for the greater public participation in the Development Review Process." I am sad about the process. This isn't a local landowner that owned property for years, this is a large corporation development company trying to get as many home lots approved to make their profits and keep their board happy, so their investment money makes money. Tim Koenig whose family owns the 180 acres boarding the proposed subdivision stated at the public hearing they plan to do family transfers so the property will be fit into S acre tracts for family members like his S acres he lives currently. So here we are, Monday night to decide on Growth Amendment, Annexation, Zoning and preliminary plat. Life is always about `Timing" I feel the Timing of this subdivision is wrong and the proposed R3 zoning is not appropriate. As I stated in my public comment at the public hearing March 20; Highway 93 North Area Plan: Goal 1, Policies: C. With the construction of the Church Drive overpass on US 93, "Every Effort" must be taken to fully utilize this interchange and conversely limit direct access onto US 93 for At Least 3/4 mile along areas north and south of this facility to avoid congestion points and the need for future traffic signals. Growth Policy page 84. It is .6 miles apart. This subdivision is like what you would see off 3-mile drive, this is not appropriate for our neighborhood. The time is not right forth is type of subdivision on Tronstad Road. The carrot used by the developer to the City is they would assign the water rights to the agricultural well to augment the City of Kalispell water supply. As the process plays out, and discussions with DNRC, this well is a seasonal agricultural well and would not be sufficient for municipal water supply. Why wasn't this found out in the process before the application was turned in? Why did I have to go the DNRC and talk with Jim Chambers who put the well in to find this out? Now the City is saying they can drill anew well? I have a water right General Abstract Number— 76LJ 40S87-00 to Stillwater River. What will happen to our aquifer and how will this affect me and my neighbors' wells that have the same water right? Do you knowwith 100% certainty that a newwell won't affect the surrounding neighborhood wells? This information could be found out with DNRC. Why isn't this being done prior to application? Keith Haskins already put a report together by April 8 stating the 2019 water extension to City water supply did not include this subdivision and same was stated with Septic. The last thing we want to hear is if our wells fail because of a new well drilled, good thing city ran a water main by your property and you can hook up to cities for a fee. That would be forced annexation. Another carrot by the developer is they will put a traffic light in. They supplied a traffic study dated in February. What time of year is that for a traffic study. Since, it appears another traffic study was done by developer stating 3 of the 9 warrants will be met with MDT for a Traffic light. I have heard from Rebecca Anderson with MDT and my County Commissioner Randy Brodehl that MDT is currently in a middle of a traffic study at this intersection. Do you know with 100% certainty that a traffic light will be warranted with MDT? MDT should finish their traffic study prior to any approval? Does one subdivision warrant putting in a traffic light that will affect the whole valley, slowing traffic flow and creating more congestion? Is there a certain number of homes that could go in that wouldn't warrant a traffic light? What is that number 100, 1 S0, 16S? I'm sure MDT could do the study and let you know. Is the Real Estate market slowing down? I am hearing house prices are being reduced and the list time on the market is longer. Is this going to be a knee jerk reaction to a real estate report from Missoula the City Staff feels is 100% accurate? How many things weren't accurate during the Covid Pandemic, and do we wish we could go back and knowing what we know now, would we handle it differently? Look around and you can see we have shoulder season again, in the last few years we haven't. We are not growing at the pace currently as we have over the last 3 years. How many SFR lots and homes do we have in current inventory, upcoming and what is coming down the pipe that is already within the City Annexation boundary with all proper infrastructure in place to support it? Do we have over a 1000? Here is a list of what I do know is current and coming. You may know more: Glacier Town Center, Valley Ranch, Silverboork Estates, Stillwater Village, Dusty Acres, Starling Community, Quail Meadows. Quail Meadows was supposed to be done in two years. We are two years and Quail is only halfway built out; 18 homes done of 39. It will be S years before it's done. Starling Community subdivision is selling 4000 sq ft lots for $130,000 and S000 sq ft lots for $140,000. Tronstad Meadows would have 6000 sq ft lots so that would price it at $1 SO,000 a lot. So, build a 1 SOO square foot home at $300 a foot and you will be at $600,000 lowest price house not including landscaping, sprinklers and fence. Buy a 12,000 square foot lot at Tronstad meadows and it will be $2SO,000 or more with a 2300 square foot house it will be a million. Starling is a perfect comp for this. Are locals going to sell their house when they are at 3% mortgage rates to go to 7% to live on a 6000 sq ft lot? Chances are they have a bigger lot currently. And even if a few locals buy here, I promise it will be almost 90% of out of state folks moving here. Selling their housing in their markets and coming to the table with SOOK to put down. I am watching it happen a Quail meadow, no locals buying, all out of State! Even if you feel the property should be annexed, the zoning is not appropriate. Here are subdivisions on the outskirts of Kalispell that are R2 zoning, and many are PUD's. Lone Pine trails (PUD), Silverbook (PUD), The Willows, French Subdivision, Ashley Heights, Mountain Vista Estates (PUD), Blue Herron Estates, Browser Creek Estates (PUD), Diamond Ridge Estates. Silverbook is a great comparison, has consistency and flow in the subdivision. Tronstad Meadows / and Whitetail crossing have no consistency in their lots and no walking paths for owners. I would think developments for the city would go from city center out vs outside in. Trying to create a subdivision in a county subdivision will create several oversights and a lot of hindsight's of what should have been done. Again, timing is everything, when Whitefish Stage is improved and widened, pedestrian and bicycle paths connecting from Reserve Street to Church Drive would be much better timing. Be Careful of what is being Sold! Respectfully submitted, Colby Shaw 406-261-1092