Tronstad Meadows Public Comment from Brandon ThornburgAimee Brunckhorst
From: Brandon Thornburg <b.thornburg@hotmail.com>
Sent: Monday, June 3, 2024 12:06 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Tronstad Meadows
Dear Council Members,
It was not long ago that Kalispell City Planners made the following statement to local media -
Planning Services Director Jarod Nygren and Sorensen say that although the projects may appear drastic and
sudden to members of the general public, city officials have been laying plans to accommodate a high volume
of development through implementation of its Growth Policy, which was updated in 2017. Surrounding the
city's downtown area, the policy establishes an annexation boundary and staff have been hard at work
installing infrastructure like sewer, water and transportation updates for years to prepare for growth.
"1 think it's important that everywhere that the council approved a development, we knew a development was
going to happen," Nygren said. "We plan for it — so even if it's a field, we plan for it to be residential ... it's not
an afterthought, which makes it a little easier for council to make that decision because it's in our urban
growth boundary."
Those statements made by City Planners don't hold true to this particular development. The City Growth Plan
does not include the proposed annexation in it's Annexation Boundary yet today, planners are suggesting that
Mr. Gardner and Mr. Sonju, both previous state legislators, be granted this annexation.
Kalispell Mayor Mark Johnson, whose first term began in 2014, calls the Growth Policy the city's "key guiding
document," if developers follow the criteria laid out in the policy, he says, the council will likely approve their
proposal.
If this annexation request is granted, how will the public trust not only the City's elected officials but staff as
well? If the Key Guiding Document of the City Of Kalispell can be ignored whenever a politician or developer
wants it to, and public input is ignored -where does that leave us?
The proposed site of this development is on a narrow two lane county road connecting Highway 93 to
Whitefish Stage. Tronstad Road is not equipped to handle the volume of traffic that the proposed
development will generate. Whitefish Stage Road is not equipped to handle the traffic being generated by the
current developments and will further be over burdened by the addition of this one. The intersection of Rose
Crossing and Whitefish Stage is always an accident waiting to happen. During peak hours, it's hard to find an
intersection on Highway 93 N that is adequately performing from downtown Kalispell to Whitefish. Unsafe
road conditions in and around Kalispell are becoming a byproduct of the chaotic growth.
The location of the proposed development seems out of place when advertised as affordable, workforce
housing, attainable etc. The suggested pricing of the homes for this development don't seem to be affordable
for Kalispells workforce. The field where this development is planned to go is often under water in wet spring
months (pictures of this accumulated rainfall and melt off behind the home of Colby Shaw were provided to
the City when Quail Meadows subdivision was underway).
It is not the responsibility of the City or the public to accommodate annexation, zone changes, or subdivisions
that are not within City limits or the City's annexation boundary as drawn in the City's Key Guiding
Document. The land purchased by the developer is appropriately zoned, why not develop to the existing,
planned for, growth?
Please consider the above when voting on this development. The proposed development does not fit the
location or the objectives of the current growth plan.
Thank You,
Brandon Thornburg